Critters 2

This continues yesterday's post especially for our grandson, Julius, who wanted to know what kind of animals we saw during our trip to Belize and Guatemala.

We heard howler monkeys quite often during our time at DuPloys and Tikal. They make a very loud howl, something like a pack of coyotes but even weirder. But we only saw howler monkeys one time, and I only managed to get this one photograph.

Spider monkeys were a different story. At Tikal we saw them several times swinging through the trees, and occasionally even taking a rest and checking out the strange creatures who were looking up at them.

Also common around Tikal was the white-nosed coati. Sometimes they moved through an area in groups of 20-30, with their long tails sticking straight up in the air. This one, however, was snacking on some fruit in a tree.

At duPloys Lodge in Belize, just after dark settled in, a family of kinkajous visited the people bar for an evening snack of bananas. The bartender is feeding the 4 month old youngster.

Here's information about the kinkajou that I found on a National Geographic site:

"Kinkajous live in the tropical forests of Central and South America, where they spend most of their time in the trees. They are able to turn their feet backwards to run easily in either direction along branches or up and down trunks. The kinkajou also has a prehensile (gripping) tail that it uses much like another arm. Kinkajous often hang from this incredible tail, which also aids their balance and serves as a cozy blanket while the animal sleeps high in the canopy.

"Though many of its features and traits sound like those of a primate, the kinkajou is actually related to the raccoon.

"Kinkajous are sometimes called honey bears because they raid bees' nests. They use their long, skinny tongues to slurp honey from a hive, and also to remove insects like termites from their nests. Kinkajous also eat fruit and small mammals, which they snare with their nimble front paws and sharp claws. They roam and eat at night, and return each morning to sleep in previously used tree holes."


One more photo of the young kinkajou ...