The olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina ) 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. On 22 May 2014, the International Institute for Species Exploration declared the olinguito as one of the "Top 10 New Species of 2014" among species discovered in 2013. It is the first new carnivoran mammal described in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.
Olinguito has dense woolly fur that is thicker and more colorful (reddish brown or orange) than the olingos, its closest relatives. This animal looks like a mix between a teddy bear and a cat. The olinguito is distinct from the other species within the genus, popularly known as "olingos", and also from the kinkajou (kinkajous resemble olingos, but are not closely related). Its average weight is 900 grams (2 lb), making it the smallest procyonid.
The olinguito lives in the northern Andes of Ecuador and western Colombia in humid montane rainforests.
Little is known about the social behavior in the olinguito, because it was only recently discovered and researchers are still learning about this tree-dwelling mammal. They are solitary, mostly nocturnal and live in trees. They are skillful jumpers and are able to jump from tree to tree up in the forest canopy.
Olinguitos are carnivorous, but mainly eat fruit, and also eat nectar and some insects.
No information is available at present regarding the mating system and reproductive behavior of olinguitos. It is only known that females raise just a single offspring at a time.
In the future the olinguito may be under threat as a result of urbanization and deforestation. It has been estimated that 42% of historic suitable olinguito habitat has already been converted to urban areas or agriculture and a further 21% remained in natural though largely unforested conditions. Since its natural habitat is at higher elevations, the olinguito’s "cloud forest habitat" clearly needs protection for the probability of survival for this species.
The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the olinguito total population size. According to the HISTORY resource, the olinguito population numbers in the tens of thousands. Currently this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) and its numbers today are decreasing.
