Kinkajou gives Florida pensioner a fright (video)

Can you imagine waking up to find THIS sitting on top of you?

A 99-year-old woman in Miami, Florida got the fright of her life recently when she woke up to find the exotic animal, called a kinkajou, sitting on her chest.

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Local vet Don Harris, who has been caring for the animal, said: "The lady is sound asleep and she feels something on her chest and she slowly wakes up and realises that there's an animal curled up sleeping on her chest.

"I guess her first impression was that it might be a cat, but when they both got a look at each other, they both freaked out.The lady screamed, the kinkajou took off and went into her attic."

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Eventually the woman's son-in-law and friends managed to coax the animal out by playing sounds made by other kinkajous.

They took the animal to the local veterinary practice and its unnamed owner is apparently going to pick it up soon.

Kinkajous are native to rainforests in South America but they are often poached and sold in the USA.

According to National Geographic, in their natural habitat the animals spend most of their time in trees and have the ability to turn their feet backwards and run in either direction.

Similar to some types of monkey, the kinkajous use their tail to hang from branches while they sleep in the tree canopies.

While they might be cute and cuddly, kinkajous are still exotic animals and belong in the wild.