The western lowland olingo (''Bassaricyon medius'') is a species of
olingo
The genus ''Bassaricyon'' consists of small Neotropical procyonidae, procyonids, popularly known as olingos (), cousins of the raccoon. They are native to the rainforests of Central America, Central and South America from Nicaragua to Peru. They ...
from
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
, where it is known from
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
and from
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
and
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
west of the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
.
Description
The western lowland olingo is smaller than the
northern olingo
The northern olingo (''Bassaricyon gabbii''), also known as the bushy-tailed olingo or as simply the olingo (due to it being the most commonly seen of the species), is a tree-dwelling member of the family Procyonidae, which also includes raccoons ...
, 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 eastern lowland olingo (''Bassaricyon alleni'') is a species of olingo from South America, where it is known from the lowlands east of the Andes in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela.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.