I need to know what kind of animal an Aguantibo is, its Latin
taxonomic name, and a few of its defining characteristics, I have been
asked to write a child's story about how it lost its tail, and any
details about its life and features may help to get the imagination
going. I have looked on Google, but beyond a list of animal names
including "aguantibo" I didn't get many hits.

I assume that the animal you're looking for is the angwantibo,
Arctocebus aureus or Arctocebus calabarensis. I have gathered some
information that should be helpful.

"Angwantibo is the common name for two species of strepsirrhine
primates and are classified in genus Arctocebus of the family Loridae.
They are also known as golden potto because of their yellow or golden
coloration.

Angwantibos live in tropical Africa and their range includes Nigeria,
Cameroon north of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Angwantibos grow to a size of 22 to 30 cm, and have almost no tail at
all. They only weigh up to 0.5 kg. Their fur is yellow brown to golden
in color. Their snout is more pointed than that of the other lorids
and this, along with their round ears, gives it the bear-like
appearance that lends them their name in German: 'bear monkey'.

Solitary, diurnal and arboreal, they prefer the underbrush and the
lower layers of the forests. They spend the day hidden in the leaves.
Like all lorids they are characterized by slow movements.

The diet of the Angwantibo is predominantly of insects (mostly
caterpillars), and occasionally fruits. Owing to their careful
movements and their good sense of smell, they can quietly stalk and
close-in on their prey and catch it with a lightning-quick movement."

Wikipedia: Angwantibo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angwantibo

"Perodicticinae is the subfamily of Loridae... They have a vestigial
tail and index finger. The snout is pointed and the ears and eyes are
large. The coat is dense, brown and woolly.

Family Loridae 
Subfamily Perodicticinae 
Genus Arctocebus 
Calabar Angwantibo, Arctocebus calabarensis 
Golden Angwantibo, Arctocebus aureus" 

Wikipedia: Perodicticinae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perodicticinae

"Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Chordata
 Subphylum: Vertebrata
 Class: Mammalia
 Order: Primates
 Family: Loridae
 Genus: Arctocebus
 Species: Arctocebus calabarensis

The body mass of A. calabarensis can range from 266-465 grams. The
head-body length ranges from 229 to 305 mm. This species has a
reduced, nub-like tail that measures from 4 to 10 cm, along with a
reduced index finger. The second digit on each toe is used as a
grooming claw. The pelage coloration ranges from orange to yellow to
brown on the dorsal side with white or buff pelage on the ventral
side. Facial markings include a white stripe above the nose...

Pottos are solitary animals who forage and sleep alone, although
throughout the year, males will make contact with females resident in
their home range. This species moves slowly and is a quadrupedal
climber. While climbing, three of a golden potto?s limbs are always
grasping for support while swinging from branch to branch. Golden
pottos are nocturnal and arboreal, sleeping within thick foliage
cover."

Animal Diversity: Arctocebus calabarensis
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Arctocebus_calabarensis.html

"This species has a nictitating membrane, which is unique amongst
primates... This species is a quadrupedal climber. The type of
quadrupedal locomotion is slow and stealthy in which three limbs are
always grasping a support when moving (Walker, 1979). The Golden potto
mainly moves on supports of small diameters because of its small size,
40% have a diameter less than 1 centimeter and 52% of supports are
between 1 and 10 centimeters (Walker, 1979; Charles-Dominique, 1974).
When resting, this species may hang beneath a branch...

ANTIPREDATOR BEHAVIOR:
This species will role up into a ball, keeping the mouth open hidden
beneath the armpit. If it is attacked, then it will bite the predator
on the snout, not letting go.

Primate Behavior: Golden Potto (Arctocebus aureus)
http://members.tripod.com/uakari/arctocebus_aureus.html

Here's a nice photo:

Primates: Angwantibo
http://www.primates.com/angwantibo.jpg

More pictures may be found with Google Images:

Google Images: angwantibo
http://images.google.com/images?q=angwantibo&hl=en

Google Images: golden potto
http://images.google.com/images?q=golden%20potto

My Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: angwantibo
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=angwantibo

I have a suggestion for your children's story about how the angwantibo
lost his tail. The angwantibo is a creature that eats caterpillars.
Caterpillars are known to be incredibly voracious, eating everything
in sight. Perhaps a caterpillar took revenge by eating the
angwantibo's tail!

I hope this will be useful. If this is not the correct animal, or if
anything is unclear or incomplete please request clarification; I'll
be glad to offer further assistance before you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

Excellent !  Just what I needed.
Many thanks !