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Project Noah Nature School
Bassaricyon gabbii
Guessing, two and a half feet total length; tail slightly longer than body
We were in front of a coffee shop outside the national park that had a string of hummingbird feeders on the patio. This cute animal appeared suddenly, crawling nimbly down a thin wire to this feeder.
The olingo is a largely nocturnal herbivore.We were told it is the national animal of Costa Rica and found only in the high mountains.
Spotted on Jan 29, 2011
Submitted on Apr 1, 2011
7 Comments
Thanks, Alice. Until this encounter I'd never heard of this animal. In researching the olingo I found a blog about the Hummingbird Gallery where this one was seen. A worker at the coffee shop had remarked that their olingo was the "most famous" one in Costa Rica, having been photographed everyday since he worked there. Where to see one: http://www.anywherecostarica.com/flora-f...
I don't belive I ever seen one in Costa Rica. Nice Series!
It was a very cool experience. I've learned that the trick is to go there in the afternoon for the best chance of seeing the olingo.
Very cool spot nance!
I discovered a file of lost photos. The final shot shows the animal's lack of the prehensile tail distinguishing it from the kinkajou. (A quick image search reveals a host of pictures of olingos in this location.)
He was holding like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f7ShoTS7DPc/TR...
Or he was holding himself with his tail? Because Olingos and Kinkajous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkajou) are really similar, but Olingos lack of prehensile tails.
He must have a sweet tooth.