Western lowland olingo

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Western lowland olingo
Bassaricyon medius medius.jpg
Sitting on a branch
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Bassaricyon
Species:
B. medius
Binomial name
Bassaricyon medius
Thomas, 1909
B-medius geo.jpg
Distribution of the western lowland olingo
Synonyms

Bassariscyon gabbi orinomus Goldman, 1912

The western lowland olingo (Bassaricyon medius) 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. [2]

Contents

Description

The western lowland olingo is smaller than the northern olingo, but larger than the most montane member of the genus, the recently described olinguito ("little olingo"). [2] While the Panamanian subspecies B. m. orinomus is about the same size as the eastern lowland olingo, the subspecies from west of the Andes, B. m. medius is smaller. [2] The pelage is slightly lighter than that of the eastern species. [2]

It has a head-body length of 31 to 41 centimetres (12 to 16 in), with a tail length of 35 to 52 centimetres (14 to 20 in). [2] It weighs .9 to 1.2 kilograms (2.0 to 2.6 lb). [2]

Taxonomy

There are two subspecies of the western lowland olingo: the nominate B. m. medius (Colombia and Ecuador) and B. m. orinomus (Panama and possibly Colombia). [2] The closest relative of the western lowland olingo is the other lowland olingo species, B. alleni , found east of the Andes, from which it diverged about 1.3 million years ago. [2]

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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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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

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The northern olingo, also known as the bushy-tailed olingo or, simply, the olingo, 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, 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. Its specific name honors William More Gabb (1839-1878), who found and collected the first specimen for western science.

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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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References

  1. Helgen, K.; Kays, R.; Pinto, C.; Schipper, J. (2020). "Bassaricyon medius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T48637802A166523410. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T48637802A166523410.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Helgen, K. M.; Pinto, M.; Kays, R.; Helgen, L.; Tsuchiya, M.; Quinn, A.; Wilson, D.; Maldonado, J. (2013-08-15). "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.