KINKAJOU (kang-kä-zhö') , a genus of carnivorous mammals, family Procionidæ. They have prehensile tails, with which they hang on to trees. They have some affinity to the lemurs, of which they are the partial representatives in the New World, where they occur in South America and in Mexico. The best known species is Cercoleptes caudivolvulus, which is about a foot long, with a tail of 18 inches. It feeds upon fruit, insects, and birds. It is seen in menageries, and is occasionally tamed as a pet.