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.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
An omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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starts withThe olinguito is the smallest species in the Procyonidae* family, which are animals found solely in the New World, which also includes raccoons, coatis, olingos, and kinkajous. In 2013 they were described as a new species. They have 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, and for more 100 years has been mistakenly identified. This finding is important for science because the species has occurred again in the western hemisphere after 35 years.
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.
