Watch this video about the kinkajou, an animal that lives in the rainforest.
Video Transcript
The tangled layers of the rainforest canopy contain a wide variety of ecological niches.
Many creatures have evolved to exploit them.
One such creature is the kinkajou.
At first glance, it might be mistaken for a lemur or some other kind of primate, but it is actually a member of the carnivore order.
Its closest relatives include the coati and the raccoon.
But whereas the raccoon ambles on the ground, the kinkajou spends almost its entire life high up in the trees.
With its sharp claws and prehensile tail, it moves easily from branch to branch.
Its back feet can reverse direction 180 degrees, allowing the kinkajou to hang upside down as it searches for food.
Unlike its carnivorous cousins, the kinkajou feeds almost exclusively on fruit.
Any seeds that it drops or swallows are scattered across the forest floor.
In this way, the kinkajous play an important part in seed dispersal.
But it also plays an ecological role normally reserved for bats, birds, and insects.
With its nose buried deep inside a flower, it gorges on nectar.
Once finished, its nose is covered with pollen that will be deposited in the next flower.
In this way, it acts as a pollinator, the only member of the carnivore order to do so.
It has become a keystone species, promoting the well-being of its ecosystem through its own gluttony.
A remarkable achievement from one of the many creatures of the rainforest canopy.