Dave Jenkina, age l2, of Washington, Ill., for his question:

Where is the native home of the kinkajou?

This furry fellow is not a native of North America, but he does very well in many of our zoos. In the wild he enjoys life in the lofty tree tops of Central and south America. The kinkajou is an agile night prowler with a long grehensile tail which uses to grasp and swing himself monkey style from bough to bough.

His fluffy body is about a foot long, plus a foot and a half of furry tail. Hip menu includes assorted bugs, beetles and other insects. For dessert. he enjoys a helping of soft fruit. He uses his long pliable tongue to scoop out the pulp. Barring accidents the charming kinkajou can expect to enjoy a life of about l9 years in the forests of Mexico or further south among the trees of some warm region of Central or south America.