Western lowland olingo

{{Short description|Species of carnivore}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Western lowland olingo

| image = Bassaricyon medius medius.jpg

| image_caption = Sitting on a branch

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Helgen, K. |author2=Kays, R. |author3=Pinto, C. |author4=Schipper, J. |date=2020 |title=Bassaricyon medius |volume=2020 |page=e.T48637802A166523410 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T48637802A166523410.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}

| genus = Bassaricyon

| species = medius

| authority = Thomas, 1909

| synonyms =

Bassariscyon gabbi orinomus Goldman, 1912

| range_map = B-medius geo.jpg

| range_map_caption = Distribution of the western lowland olingo

}}

The western lowland olingo (Bassaricyon medius) is a species of olingo from Central and South America, where it is known from Panama and from Colombia and Ecuador west of the Andes.{{cite journal |title=Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito |last1=Helgen |first1=K. M. |last2=Pinto |first2=M. |last3=Kays |first3=R. |last4=Helgen |first4=L. |last5=Tsuchiya |first5=M. |last6=Quinn |first6=A. |last7=Wilson |first7=D. |last8=Maldonado |first8=J.|journal= ZooKeys|issue= 324|date= 2013-08-15|pages= 1–83|doi= 10.3897/zookeys.324.5827 |pmid=24003317 |pmc=3760134|doi-access=free }}

Description

The western lowland olingo is smaller than the northern olingo, but larger than the most montane member of the genus, the recently described olinguito ("little olingo"). While the Panamanian subspecies B. m. orinomus is about the same size as the eastern lowland olingo, the subspecies from west of the Andes, B. m. medius is smaller. The pelage is slightly lighter than that of the eastern species.

It has a head-body length of {{convert|31|to|41|cm}}, with a tail length of {{convert|35|to|52|cm}}. It weighs {{convert|.9|to|1.2|kg}}.

Taxonomy

There are two subspecies of the western lowland olingo: the nominate B. m. medius (Colombia and Ecuador) and B. m. orinomus (Panama and possibly Colombia). The closest relative of the western lowland olingo is the other lowland olingo species, B. alleni, found east of the Andes, from which it diverged about 1.3 million years ago.

References