Small bears in Costa Rica

Even though kinkajous are small bears, they don’t look like bears at all with their big eyes and long tail. If you want to see a kinkajou in Costa Rica, you have to stay up late at night and of course be a bit lucky because kinkajous are quite difficult to spot. Like coatis, kinkajous belong to the small bear family. The nocturnal tree dwellers differ from other small bears primarily in their long graspable tail which is a great help when climbing heights. Kinkajous grow to about 31 to 39 inches in length, with their tails accounting for 16 to 24 inches of their body length. They usually weigh 4.5 to 7 pounds. Their coat color is reddish brown and sometimes yellowish or light brown at the base. They are more yellowish in color on the belly. They have a relatively round head, large round eyes, prominent round ears and a flat snout. In order to be able to move better in the treetops, kinkajous have curved and long claws, which are also quite sharp.

Where are kinkajous at home?

Kinkajous feel most comfortable in humid tropical rainforests where they find fruits and nutritious leaves. They like mangoes, figs and avocados best because kinkajous are the mammals most fixated on fruit. From time to time there is a bird’s egg or chick on their menu. If they are disturbed during their nocturnal forays, they start barking and flee or defend themselves depending on the enemy. During the day, the Kinkajous withdraw into small tree cavities. There they curl up sideways and place their front paws protectively in front of their eyes.

The way of life of the kinkajous

Kinkajous can be spotted from southern Mexico through Costa Rica to southern Brazil sometimes at altitudes of 2,500 meters. They are usually found in the upper tree regions and almost never on the ground where they only go in extreme emergencies. The small bears resemble partly carnivores and partly primates. They usually travel alone but occasionally gather in large groups in trees with ample food supplies. From time to time they also brush each other or play with each other, but usually only for a very short time. Small groups consisting of females, males and two juveniles of different ages are also frequently observed. Kinkajous are very territorial and fiercely defend their 75 to 125 acre territory. Kinkajous have few natural enemies. Sometimes they are hunted by margays, tiger cats or the ocelot. Being nocturnal, they don’t have to fear large predatory birds like the harpy eagle, and owls are too small to consider them prey.

Mating behavior of kinkajous

Kinkajous can be ready to mate all year round. Once a male and a female have found each other, copulation occurs. After a gestation period of about 100 to 120 days, the female usually gives birth to one young which is deaf, blind and covered with a gray down. The young animal is suckled for four months while it slowly gets used to solid food, after which they are independent and are weaned. In the wild, kinkajous can live up to 23 years, in captivity rarely up to 40 years.

Raccoons are extremely curious and almost cheeky. There are also raccoons in Costa Rica, the North American raccoons, which represent the most widespread group of small bears.

Raccoons, also called “Mapache” in Costa Rica, can grow up to 25 inches long and weigh between 9 and 18 pounds, with the males usually being significantly heavier. In colder regions raccoons pack on winter fat and then weigh up to 50 percent more in early winter than in spring. Some raccoons even weigh up to 44 pounds, which is very rare in the wild. The black face mask on the white face is typical of the raccoon. Otherwise, they are brown to gray in color and the 10 inch long tail is brown and white striped.

Raccoons have particularly thick fur, which is why they were often kept on fur farms in the past. They are color blind but can still see quite a bit at dusk. Their sense of smell is of greater importance to the raccoon. With it, he can orient himself at night and communicate with other raccoons. With their keen hearing they can hear even the faintest of noises such as an earthworm burying itself in the ground. Their sense of touch is the central sense of the raccoon. He uses it to carefully feel for food or other objects until he can decide whether he can eat what he finds or whether it is of some other use.

In the past, the raccoon was only found from Panama to Canada but today it can be found in Europe. In Europe it escaped or was abandoned from fur farms in the 20th century. They hide in attics or woodpiles so they are very close to people. In some regions they have become a real plague. There are about 30 different subspecies of raccoons that can live up to 10 years and in captivity up to 20 years, however,, their average life expectancy is only around 2 years.

The nocturnal animals are omnivores feeding on plants, fruit, worms, fish, insects and much more. In spring they prefer animal food, in autumn plant food and in winter they sometimes even have to fast. During the day these good climbers prefer to hide in old trees, small caves, or sometimes in attics. Raccoons have a complex social behavior. For example, when there is a large supply of food, they often share a territory and sometimes even meet to sleep or play.

In the spring, the females become fertile for three to four days, however, if they are heavily hunted in an area they can become pregnant more often. It is almost impossible to completely eradicate the animals since a few individuals almost always survive. After a gestation period of about 65 days, the female usually gives birth to 2 to 4 young. The still naked and blind puppies weigh only about 2.5 ounces at this point. For a month they are fed exclusively on mother’s milk, then they begin to eat solid foods. After six to nine weeks they leave their den for the first time, but are suckled for another two to three weeks until autumn when the young leave their mother completely.

Raccoons are preyed upon by the jaguar, puma, various snakes, and large birds in Costa Rica but their main killers are roads where they are frequently run over. In Costa Rica you can actually spot raccoons everywhere, as they can adapt very well to different situations and do not have high demands on food and environment.

When driving from La Fortuna to Lake Arenal in Costa Rica there is almost always a chance of encountering a group of coatis. Unfortunately, this is mainly due to the fact that they are fed here by tourists and locals. As a result, the animals can sometimes even react aggressively towards people if they are not fed. For this reason, and also because of the increased risk of injury from cars and the increasing health risks, we advise against feeding the animals. Another, far better opportunity to see coatis in the wild is in Corcovado National Park located in southwest Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula. Like raccoons, coatis belong to the family of small bears. Four different species can be distinguished, the Nelson’s Coati, the South American Coati, the Mountain Coati and the Costa Rican and Panamanian White-nosed Coati. The small predators have relatively short legs, an elongated head and a long tail. The fur coloration of the animals is variable and can range from brown to red to gray. What is striking, however, is the white snout, throat and belly. The approx. 20 inch long tail is ringed and varies from animal to animal. White-nosed coatis can grow up to 25 inches long and weigh 7 to 11 pounds.

Their range extends from the south of the USA to Colombia. Here they prefer to live in forests because they are good climbers but can also move perfectly on the ground and even in water. Unlike many other small bears, coatis are primarily diurnal. Usually the females live with their young in groups of 4 to 20 individuals, sometimes more. The males on the other hand are mainly solitary and display pronounced territorial behavior.

Like all small bears, coatis are omnivores. However, they prefer to eat insects, spiders, scorpions and crabs, as well as small vertebrates, and also fruits and plants. Their long snout is a great help to them. With it, they can smell even the smallest prey in the ground and dig them up. White-nosed coatis breed in February and March. The female dominated group allows a male to approach with submissive behavior. The male subordinates itself to the females and is then allowed to mate with all of them before being pushed out of the group again. The gestation period for coatis is around 77 days. After that, the female usually gives birth to 2 to 7 young in a nest of leaves she builds herself high above the ground. The initially blind and deaf young animals are weaned after just four months and are fully grown by the age of 15 months. They are sexually mature at the age of 2 years after which the male young animals are expelled from the group. In the wild, coatis can live up to 15 years. In addition to birds of prey and boa constrictors, the enemies of the white-nosed coati are larger cats of prey. Coatis rarely pose a threat to humans but they are often run over by cars.