Northern olingo

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Northern olingo
Bushy tailed olingo.jpg
in Costa Rica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Bassaricyon
Species:
B. gabbii
Binomial name
Bassaricyon gabbii
Allen, 1876
B-gabbii geo.jpg
Northern olingo range [2]
Synonyms

Bassaricyon richardsoniJ. A. Allen, 1908
Bassaricyon lasiusHarris, 1932
Bassaricyon pauliEnders, 1936

Contents

The northern olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii), also known as the bushy-tailed olingo or, simply, the olingo (due to it being the most common of the species), [2] is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) member of the raccoon family, Procyonidae, which also includes the coatimundis and kinkajou. Native to Central America, it was the first species of olingo to be scientifically described; while it is considered by some authors to be the only “true” olingo species, [3] a review of the genus Bassaricyon had shown there to be a total of four species, two of those now being considered synonymous with the northern olingo. [2] Its specific name honors William More Gabb (1839-1878), who found and collected the first specimen for western science. [4] [5]

Description

The northern olingo is a slender arboreal animal, with hind legs distinctly longer than the fore legs, and a long, bushy tail. The face is short and rounded, with relatively large eyes and short round ears. [6] The fur is thick and colored brown or grey-brown over most of the body, becoming slightly darker along the middle of the back, while the underparts are light cream to yellowish. [6] A band of yellowish fur runs around the throat and sides of the head, where it reaches the base of the ears, while the face has greyish fur. The tail is similar in color to the body, but has a number of faint rings of darker fur along its length. The soles of the feet are hairy, and the toes are slightly flattened, ending with short, curved claws. [6] Females have a single pair of teats, located on the rear part of the abdomen, close to the hind legs. [4]

Adults have a head-body length of 36 to 42 centimetres (14 to 17 in), with a 38 to 48 centimetres (15 to 19 in) tail. [6] They weigh around 1.2 to 1.4 kilograms (2.6 to 3.1 lb). [6] The northern olingo possesses a pair of anal scent glands, [6] capable of producing a foul-smelling chemical when the animal is alarmed. [4]

This is the largest of the olingo species. [2] Its pelage is typically less rufous than the other olingos, while its tail bands are a bit more distinct. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The northern olingo is found from Nicaragua south through Colombia (where it has been sighted as far south as El Carmen de Atrato, Chocó Province), as well as Costa Rica and Panamá. [2] They have been occasionally reported from Honduras and Guatemala, although its great similarity to the more common kinkajou may make such reports dubious. The olingo is not currently recognised by the IUCN. [1] While some individuals have been found as low as sea level, [2] it typically inhabits montane [2] and tropical moist forests [4] from 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) [2] up to around 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) elevation, although, apparently, it avoids human-disturbed areas, plantations and areas of secondary forest. [4]

Taxonomy

Previously, three subspecies (including the nominate) were recognized of this olingo: B. g. gabbii, B. g. richardsoni, and B. g. medius. [3] The recent review of the genus has made several changes to the definition of this species:

  1. The Nicaraguan population B. g. richardsoni may truly be a subspecies, but further review and analysis is needed. [2]
  2. B. g. medius is smaller on average than Bassaricyon gabbii and the morphologic and genetic analysis demonstrated that is a different species: B. medius (western lowland olingo). [2]
  3. Former species B. lasius and B. pauli have been demoted into synonyms for B. gabbii, but may be elevated to subspecies as B. g. lasius and B. g. pauli. [2]

The closest relatives of B. gabbii are the two lowland olingo species of Panama and northwestern South America, B. alleni and B. medius, from which it diverged about 1.8 million years ago. [2]

Diet and behavior

The northern olingo is a nocturnal herbivore, feeding almost entirely on fruit, especially figs. It has been observed to drink the nectar of balsa trees during the dry season, and, on rare occasions, to pursue and eat small mammals, such as mice and squirrels. During the day, it sleeps in dens located in large trees. [4] It has an estimated home range of around 23 hectares (57 acres). [7]

Although it has been considered to be a solitary animal, it is often encountered in pairs, and may be more sociable than commonly believed. It is arboreal, spending much of its time in trees. Its tail is not prehensile, unlike that of the related kinkajous, although it can act as a balance. [4] The call of the northern olingo has been described as possessing two distinct notes, with a "whey-chuck" or "wey-toll" sound. [7]

The northern olingo has a diet and habitat similar to those of kinkajous, and, when resources are in short supply, the larger animal may drive it away from its preferred trees. [7] Predators known to feed on the northern olingo include the jaguarundi, ocelot, tayra, and several boas. It is believed to breed during the dry season, and to give birth to a single young after a gestation period of around ten weeks. It has lived for up to twenty-five years in captivity. [4]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coati</span> Variety of mammal

Coatis, also known as coatimundis, are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera Nasua and Nasuella. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Southwestern United States. The name "coatimundi" comes from the Tupian languages of Brazil, where it means "lone coati". Locally in Belize, the coati is known as "quash".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Procyonidae</span> Family of mammals

Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It includes the raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous.

<i>Procyon</i> (genus) Genus of carnivores

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals comprising three species commonly known as raccoons in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon, is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and less well known. Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of raccoons are the ring-tailed cats and cacomistles of genus Bassariscus, from which they diverged about 10 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinkajou</span> South American honeyeater (Potos flavus)

The kinkajou is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos and is also known as the "honey bear". Though kinkajous are arboreal, they are not closely related to any other tree-dwelling mammal group.

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<i>Bassariscus</i> Genus of carnivores

Bassariscus is a genus in the family Procyonidae. There are two extant species in the genus: the ringtail or ring-tailed cat and the cacomistle. Genetic studies have indicated that the closest relatives of Bassariscus are raccoons, from which they diverged about 10 million years ago in the Tortonian Age of the Miocene. The two lineages of Bassariscus are thought to have separated after only another two million years, making it the extant procyonid genus with the earliest diversification. Later diversification in the genus in the Pliocene and Pleistocene saw the emergence of two extinct species, Bassariscus casei and Bassariscus sonoitensis, respectively. Due to the more digitigrade stance of their legs compared to the plantigrade stance of other members of Procyonidae, some taxonomies place the genus as a separate family, Bassaricidae.. The name is a Greek word for fox ("bassaris") with a Latinized diminutive ending ("-iscus"). The genus was named by Elliott Coues in 1887, having previously been described by Lichtenstein in 1830 under the name Bassaris. Coues proposed the word "bassarisk" as the English term for animals in this genus. Its habitat includes semi-arid areas in the southwestern United States, the whole of Mexico, as well as moist tropical forests in Central America.

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<i>Nasuella</i> Genus of carnivores

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<i>Bassaricyon</i> Genus of carnivores

The genus Bassaricyon consists of small Neotropical procyonids, popularly known as olingos, cousins of the raccoon. They are native to the rainforests of Central and South America from Nicaragua to Peru. They are arboreal and nocturnal, and live at elevations from sea level to 2,750 m (9,020 ft). Olingos closely resemble another procyonid, the kinkajou, in morphology and habits, though they lack prehensile tails and extrudable tongues, have more extended muzzles, and possess anal scent glands. However, the two genera are not sisters. They also resemble galagos and certain lemurs.

<i>Nasuella olivacea</i> Species of carnivore

The western mountain coati or western dwarf coati is a small procyonid, found in cloud forest and páramo at altitudes of 1,300–4,250 metres (4,270–13,940 ft) in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. A population discovered in the Apurímac–Cuzco region of southern Peru has tentatively been identified as the western mountain coati, but may represent an undescribed taxon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern lowland olingo</span> Species of mammal

The eastern lowland olingo is a species of olingo from South America, where it is known from the lowlands east of the Andes in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela. It is the only olingo species found east of the Andes. The Latin species name honors Joel Asaph Allen, the American zoologist who first described the genus Bassaricyon.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">South American coati</span> Species of carnivore

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The olinguito is a mammal of the raccoon family Procyonidae that lives in montane forests in the Andes of western Colombia and Ecuador. It was classified as belonging to a new species in 2013. The specific name neblina is Spanish for fog or mist, referring to the cloud forest habitat of the olinguito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western lowland olingo</span> Species of carnivore

The western lowland olingo is a species of olingo from Central and South America, where it is known from Panama and from Colombia and Ecuador west of the Andes.

References

  1. 1 2 Helgen, K.; Kays, R.; Pinto, C.; González-Maya, J.F.; Schipper, J. (2016). "Bassaricyon gabbii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T48637946A45196211. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T48637946A45196211.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Helgen, K. M.; Pinto, M.; Kays, R.; Helgen, L.; Tsuchiya, M.; Quinn, A.; Wilson, D.; Maldonado, J. (15 August 2013). "Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito". ZooKeys (324): 1–83. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.324.5827 . PMC   3760134 . PMID   24003317.
  3. 1 2 Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Prange, S. & Prange, T.J. (2009). "Bassaricyon gabbii (Carnivora: Procyonidae)". Mammalian Species. 826: 1–7. doi: 10.1644/826.1 .
  5. Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2009-09-28). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 145. ISBN   978-0801893049. OCLC   270129903.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Saavedra-Rodriguez, Carlos Arturo; Velandia-Perilla, Jorge H. "Bassaricyon gabbii Allen, 1876 (Carnivora: Procyonida): New distribution point on western range of Colombian Andes". Check List: 505–507.
  7. 1 2 3 Kays, R.W. (2000). "The behavior and ecology of olingos (Bassaricyon gabbii) and their competition with kinkajous (Potos flavus) in central Panama" (PDF). Mammalia. 64 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1515/mamm.2000.64.1.1. S2CID   84467601.[ dead link ]