olingo

American  

[oh-ling-goh] / oʊˈlɪŋ goʊ /

noun

olingos plural

1. any nocturnal, arboreal mammal of the genus Bassaricyon, having large eyes and a long, ringed tail, related to raccoons and coatis, and inhabiting tropical jungles from Nicaragua to Peru and Bolivia: olingos are similar in appearance to the kinkajou, but they lack the kinkajou’s prehensile tail and extrudable tongue.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• olingos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of olingo

First recorded in 1915–20; of unexplained origin

Example Sentences

One of Helgen’s main claims to fame was describing a new species of olingo, a small mammal related to the raccoon, which Helgen and his collaborators called the olinguito.

From The Verge • Aug. 9, 2016

DNA tests revealed that an olingo kept in US zoos during the 1960s and 1970s was actually an olinguito.

From Nature • Aug. 21, 2013

Its discovery is a story that goes back a decade ago to efforts by Smithsonian zoologist Kris­tofer M. Helgen to count the number of species of the olingo, a member of the raccoon family.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2013

Finally, he called upon Kays, the world’s resident olingo expert, to help him track down an olinguito in its natural habitat.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2013

“They thought it was just a fussy olingo, but turns out it was completely the wrong species,” Helgen said.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2013