Coati Mundi

Coatis (from Tupí), also known as coatimundis, are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera Nasua and Nasuella (comprising the subtribe Nasuina).

They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States.

The name "coatimundi" comes from the Tupian languages of Brazil, where it means "lone coati".

Locally in Belize, the coati is known as "quash".

Adult coatis measure 33 to 69 cm from head to the base of the tail, which can be as long as their bodies.

Coatis are about 30 cm tall at the shoulder and weigh between 2 and 8 kg, about the size of a large house cat.

Males can become almost twice as large as females and have large, sharp canine teeth.

The measurements above relate to the white-nosed and South America coatis.

The two species of mountain coati are smaller.

All coatis share a slender head with an elongated, flexible, slightly upturned nose, small ears, dark feet, and a long non-prehensile tail used for balance and signaling.

Ring-tailed coatis have either a light brown or black coat, with a lighter underpart and a white-ringed tail in most cases.

Coatis have a long brown tail with rings on it which are anywhere from starkly defined like a raccoon's to very faint.

Like raccoons and unlike ring-tailed cats and cacomistles, the rings go completely around the tail.

Coatis often hold the tail erect; it is used as such to keep troops of coatis together in tall vegetation.

The tip of the tail can be moved slightly on its own, as is the case with cats, but it is not prehensile as is that of the kinkajou, another procyonid.

Coatis have bear- and raccoon-like paws and walk plantigrade like raccoons and bears (on the soles of the feet, as do humans).

Coatis have nonretractable claws.

Coatis also are able to rotate their ankles beyond 180°, in common with raccoons and other procyonids (and others in the order Carnivora and rare cases among other mammals); they are therefore able to descend trees head first.

(Other animals living in forests have acquired some or all of these properties through convergent evolution, including members of the mongoose, civet, weasel, cat, and bear families.)

The coati snout is long and somewhat pig-like – part of the reason for its nickname 'the hog-nosed raccoon'.

It is also extremely flexible and can rotate up to 60° in any direction.

They use their noses to push objects and rub parts of their body.

The facial markings include white markings around the eyes and on the ears and snout.

Coatis have strong limbs to climb and dig and have a reputation for intelligence, like their fellow procyonid, the raccoon.

Unlike nocturnal raccoons, however, most coatis are diurnal, although some may exhibit cathemeral behavior.

They prefer to sleep or rest in elevated places and niches, like the rainforest canopy, in crudely built sleeping nests.

Overall, coatis are widespread, occupying habitats ranging from hot and arid areas to humid Amazonian rainforests or even cold Andean mountain slopes, including grasslands and bushy areas.

Their geographical range extends from the southwestern U.S. (southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) through northern Uruguay.

Around 10 coatis are thought to have formed a breeding population in Cumbria, UK.

The following species are recognised:

The Cozumel Island coati was formerly recognised as a species, but the vast majority of recent authorities treat it as a subspecies, N. narica nelsoni, of the white-nosed coati.

Genetic evidence (cytochrome b sequences) has suggested that the genus Nasuella should be merged into Nasua, as the latter is otherwise paraphyletic.

Other genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of the coatis are the olingos (genus Bassaricyon); the two lineages are thought to have diverged about 10.2 million years ago.

Coatis can live up to seven years in the wild.

In captivity, their average lifespan is about 14 years, and some coatis can live into their late teens.

Coatis are omnivores; their diet consists mainly of ground litter, invertebrates, such as tarantula, and fruit (Alves-Costa et al., 2004, 2007; Hirsch 2007).

They also eat small vertebrate prey, such as lizards, rodents, small birds, birds' eggs, and crocodile eggs.

The snout, with an acute sense of smell, assists the paws in a hog-like manner to unearth invertebrates.

Little is known about the behaviour of the mountain coatis, and the following is almost entirely about the coatis of the genus Nasua.

Unlike most members of the raccoon family (Procyonidae), coatis are primarily diurnal.