Olinguito
| Olinguito | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Procyonidae |
| Genus: | Bassaricyon |
| Species: | B. neblina |
| Binomial name | |
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Bassaricyon neblina Helgen, 2013 |
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The olinguito /oʊlɪŋˈɡiːtoʊ/ (Spanish for "little olingo", Bassaricyon neblina, colloquially known as the "kitty bear") is a mammal of the raccoon family Procyonidae that lives in montane forests in the Andes of western Colombia and Ecuador. The species was described as new in 2013. The species 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. The reasons for its selection are its resemblance with a cross between a slender domestic cat and a romanticized American black bear, and it is the first new carnivorous mammal described in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.
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 animal is an omnivorous frugivore that eats mainly fruits (such as figs), but also insects and nectar; this diet results in feces the size of small blueberries. The olinguito is thought to be solitary, nocturnal and moderately reclusive. Olinguitos appear to be strictly arboreal. They have a single pair of mammae, and probably produce a single offspring at a time.
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