Animal﹕Kinkajou
【明報專訊】One of the cutest animals you will ever find in the Amazon rainforest, the kinkajou (蜜熊), with its big round eyes, big round ears and small round head, is also one of the most nimble of all the rainforest creatures –it is even able to run backward at a good speed!
From the racoon family
Though it may look like a monkey, the kinkajou is actually from the racoon (浣熊) family. It has a super flexible body that can rotate a full 180 degrees between the pelvis (骨盆) and head! Imagine that! This is the reason why it can pull its feet back and run backward just as quickly as it can run forward. The kinkajou's long tail gives it a powerful grip onto anything and acts almost like a fifth limb. This tail helps to balance its body and allows it to hang onto branches while it reaches for fruit. Therefore, we often see pictures of the kinkajou hanging upside down, as if it were showing off its acrobatic skills.
The seed sower and pollinator
Primarily a vegetarian, the kinkajou eats mostly fruit and supplements its diet with flowers, nectar (花蜜), leaves and insects. It is particularly fond of figs (無花果), which may make up half of its diet. Its clawed fingers give it a firm grasp of small fruit while feeding, and it is usually found hanging upside down on a tree using its tail and hind limbs for support while it eats. Because of the large quantity of fruit it consumes, the kinkajou is unwittingly a productive seed sower–most of the seeds in the fruit pass through its digestive system intact (完好無損的) and are dispersed back into the soil of the rainforest. The kinkajou has a long, extensible tongue of almost 13cm, which is very handy to lick tasty nectar from flowers. In so feeding, the kinkajou's face gets covered in pollen (花粉) which it carries to other plants! This turns them into fantastic pollinators as well.
Nature in synergy
This is how nature works–different species working together to ensure a healthy ecosystem. The kinkajou sows seeds and pollinates flowers as a direct result of how it eats. In turn, it relies on the rainforest which it helps to plant, for both its food and its habitat!
The kinkajou is dependent on the rainforest ecosystem as its natural habitat. Deforestation is as much a threat to the kinkajou as it is to every other creature and plant in the Amazon rainforest. Also, its cute looks make the kinkajou a victim of the pet trade. There is still time to prevent the kinkajou from becoming a threatened species. Opt for sustainable products and say no to the pet trade! Keep the lovely kinkajous safe!
Text and photos: Ocean Park Hong Kong
■Glossary
nimble (adj) 靈活的
acrobatic (adj) 雜技的
sower (n) 播種者
fond of (phr) 喜歡
[Smarties' Power English 第244期]
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