Bassaricyon

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Bassaricyon, or olingos, are small, tree-dwelling mammals of the rainforest in Central and South America, from Nicaragua to Peru. They are nocturnal and can live from sea level up to about 2,750 meters. Olingos look similar to kinkajous but have differences: they do not have prehensile tails or long protruding tongues, they have longer snouts, and they have anal scent glands. They are more distantly related to raccoons than to kinkajous, even though they share some similarities.

Scientists disagree about how many Bassaricyon species exist. Some propose four or five species, while others lump them into fewer. For a long time, the northern olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii) was the best known and was often just called “the olingo.” In 2006, a new olingo similar to B. alleni was found in Ecuador and named Bassaricyon neblina (the olinguito); in 2013 researchers argued that there are four olingo species: B. gabbii, B. alleni, B. medius, and B. neblina.

Genetic studies show that olingos’ closest relatives are coatis, and they split from them about 10 million years ago. Kinkajous split from other procyonids earlier, about 22 million years ago. The olingos began diversifying around 3.5 million years ago, with B. neblina branching off first, then B. gabbii about 1.8 million years ago, and B. alleni and B. medius diverging around 1.3 million years ago. This spread happened mainly in northwestern South America after their ancestors moved from Central America during the Great American Interchange. In contrast, kinkajous are an older lineage that likely originated in Central America.

Species in the Bassaricyon genus include:
- Bassaricyon alleni (eastern lowland olingo)
- Bassaricyon medius (western lowland olingo)
- Bassaricyon gabbi/gabbii (northern olingo)
- Bassaricyon neblina (olinguito)