Fruit abundance and moonlight shape sex-specific nocturnal activity and movement in kinkajous (Potos flavus)

Kinkajous, a type of nocturnal mammal found in Panama, exhibit a fascinating relationship between their activity patterns and environmental factors such as fruit abundance and moonlight. To investigate this relationship, researchers observed nine kinkajous, consisting of four females and five males, using minute-by-minute focal observations.

The study aimed to understand how fruit abundance and moonlight predicted the kinkajous' nocturnal activity budgets (time spent traveling, feeding, and resting) and nightly travel distance.

The findings revealed that fruit abundance had a significant impact on the kinkajous' behavior. Specifically, when fruit was abundant, the kinkajous traveled more and spent less time feeding. This behavior aligns with the idea that kinkajous moved between many nearby productive trees rather than engaging in prolonged feeding at a few trees. Conversely, when fruit was scarce, the kinkajous spent more time feeding, likely due to the need to locate and consume fewer, more dispersed food sources.

Interestingly, the study also found that moonlight influenced the kinkajous' activity patterns, but in a sex-specific manner. Males traveled less as moonlight increased, while females traveled more. This sex-reversed response to moonlight elevates the possibility that moonlight may elevate predation risk for males while facilitating movement for the more food-limited females.

As frugivorous carnivores, the kinkajous' feeding and travel patterns are closely tied to their ability to find and consume food while minimizing the risk of predation.