Arboreal and flying frugivorous animals represent primary dispersers in the Neotropics. Studies suggest a possible compensation for the loss of large species by smaller ones with expanding rampant anthropogenic pressures and declining populations of larger frugivores. However, studies on seed dispersal by frugivores vertebrates generally focus on the diurnal, terrestrial, canopy, and flying species, with the nocturnal canopy ones being less studied. Setting camera traps high in the canopy of fruiting nutmeg trees revealed for the first time the high frequency of the kinkajou (Potos flavus, Schreber, 1774, Procyonidae), an overlooked nocturnal frugivore species (Order Carnivora) in the Guianas. The diversity of the fruit species consumed by the kinkajou calls for considering it as an important seed disperser. The overlap of the size of seeds dispersed by frugivores observed in nutmeg trees suggests that the small (2–5 kg) kinkajou may compensate for the loss of large (5–10 kg) frugivorous vertebrates in the canopy. Camera traps visualise how the kinkajou is adapted to forage in the nutmeg tree crown and grab the fruit. Such information is vital for conservation because compensation of seed dispersal by small frugivores is crucial in increasing anthropogenic stressors.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.