The Kinkajou is one of the least known spirit animals. Biologically, the Kinkajou has a lot of contradictions. The name means “honey bear”, but the Kinkajou is not a bear. In fact, it is more closely related to raccoons. The animal is also technically a carnivore, but in the wild it eats fruit more often than anything. It has a long prehensile tail, but unlike other animals with the same feature, the Kinkajou is not a primate.
Kinkajou Symbolism Facts & Meaning: A Totem, Spirit & Power Animal
The Kinkajou also exhibits some unusual talents. Its tail is used to support itself, wrapped on branches as its hands reach for food. If the Kinkajou loses its balance and falls, it catches itself on this tail. Then, the animal can twist itself and clamber back up using its own tail as a rope!
Another weird talent is the Kinkajou’s ability to run backwards. Yes, they don’t have to turn around — they just have to rotate their feet so that they face backwards. This is a last resort, though, since the Kinkajou’s sharp ears can often warn it of danger before it comes.
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Kinkajou Symbolism & Meaning
The many talents of the Kinkajou can give it many symbolic meanings. It is a symbol of supporting oneself, as it is able to get out of danger without any outside support. In the wild, the Kinkajou is largely a loner, though they can be rarely found in groups.
The Kinkajou is also a symbol of surviving against the odds. It is frequently preyed upon by larger and fiercer animals, such as jaguars. Despite this, the Kinkajou turns to its wide pool of talents to help it survive and thrive.
The Kinkajou is also the symbol of single mothers. The species’ female raise their children alone, despite some interaction with different groups. The youngs grow up quite fast, and the mother guides them through the rapid stages of development, up until the time they can survive on their own.
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Kinkajou Spirit Animal
When the Kinkajou clambers onto your life as a spirit animal, it is time to look inwards and prepare your weapon of last resort. Life has a way of laying nasty surprises upon us, meant to test and offset us. Hence, it is also good to have our own tricks up our sleeves.
Of course these tricks do not just happen overnight. We have to get them in order beforehand. This is where our insights, inspired by the sharp senses of the Kinkajou, would come in handy. By understanding our terrain and keeping a sharp eye out for potential dangers, we can appropriately prepare for our own counters.
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Kinkajou Power Animal
When you are expecting to encounter a make-or-break situation, the Kinkajous is a great power animal to call on. These instances often serve to bring out the best in us, but this is only possible if we know ourselves and what we can do. The Kinkajou can help in unlocking any potential we might have overlooked in ourselves, and will also help give us the mental focus because we need to use them appropriately and at the right situation.
The Kinkajou is also a good power animal to call on when we need to reach outside our comfort zone to achieve a goal. Moving out of our circles is a different experience, and it can range from uncomfortable to outright dangerous. But with the Kinkajou’s help, we can prepare a fallback for ourselves so that we will not be harmed even if things go south in our efforts.
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Kinkajou Totem Animal
People with the Kinkajou as their totem animal can be mischievous and solitary. But like the animal influencing them, they are very adept at survival and have a good nose for both danger and opportunity. While they appear to scuttle about endlessly, they take time to connect with current events, and base all their decisions on how things look around them. They can be gentle, especially to those they consider their loyal friends. But it would be a mistake to get on their wrong side, since they fight fiercely if they feel they have been wronged.
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Kinkajou Native American Symbolism
Despite being native to Central and South America, the Native Americans have not had any significant encounters with Kinkajous to warrant any appearance in their symbolism.
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Kinkajou Celtic Symbolism
The Ancient Celts also have not encountered the Kinkajous, and the animal’s symbolism does not appear in their pantheon.
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Kinkajou Far Eastern Symbolism
Likewise, the Kinkajou has not appeared in the Far East. Hence, it also does not appear in their symbolism.
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Kinkajou in Dreams
When you see a Kinkajou in your dreams, it is reminding you to be gentle in your day-to-day dealings. Alertness and vigilance do not equate to treating others harshly and suspiciously. On the contrary, one should assume a caring and nurturing nature. Not only do these traits help defuse any potential problems, it also helps us get in touch with the pulse of things around us, therefore helping us better sense when something is amiss. The Kinkajou, an animal greatly attuned to plant life, is a great example of this.
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Kinkajou Encounters / Kinkajou Omens
When you encounter a Kinkajou in your life, it may be reminding you of the things you are missing when you are not around. The Kinkajou is a nocturnal animal, and have excellent night vision. You may use this to your advantage, to take a good look of what happens “at night”. There may be things that require your notice but you aren’t able to see, simply because they are out of sight.
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Kinkajou Mythology and Folklore
Kinkajous have not had many encounters with humans, since they live most of their lives on the trees, and rarely set itself foot on the ground. And while they are not endangered, they have not proliferated in such numbers that would make them obvious to human observers. Even today, they carry the label “exotic”. Because of this, they have not influenced man’s affairs enough to warrant an appearance in folklore.
Despite their reclusion, Kinkajous have been studied well enough to uncover their amazing skills and talents. We should also study them ourselves, to get a feel of the lessons they have to teach us.
