Animal Fact Sheet
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Coati
Nasua narica
What does it look
like?
A medium-sized member of the raccoon family, coatis (pronounced
"ko-ah-tee"), have a white mask on dark brown grizzled
fur. Most distinctive features are their elongated, flexible and
slightly upturned noses and long two-foot tails. Held erect above
their body, coatis tails are used for balance while climbing, but
they cannot hang by them.
- In open brush land, coatis use powerful shoulders, strong blunt
claws and their long, flexible snouts to forage around the ground
for food
- Males are larger than females
- Adult males live apart from the band and hunt independently
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| Where
in the world?
Coatis are widely distributed in Mexico, Central America to western
Columbia and Ecuador. In the United States, they only regularly
occur in the extreme Southwest.
What are some behaviors?
Bands of 5 to 20 coatis consist of adult females and juveniles.
Living in a truly communal manner, these coatis forage, play, sleep
together, groom and help each other out as they travel around their
home range.
Typical of social animals, coatis are constantly
communicating through barking, snuffling, chattering, growling,
waving their tails and using other "body language". They
signal alarm, pleasure, anger, even communicate where they are and
what they're doing.
What about offspring?
In early spring, one male will establish dominance over rival males
in the area and attempt to join the matriarchal communal band. At
this time, females become more tolerant of adult males, and the
dominant male gradually wins his way into the band by grooming its
members and behaving submissively. Only after the male has "introduced"
himself and been associated with the group for a period of time
will he mate with the females.
Shortly before giving birth, females separate
themselves from their band to find an isolated den or cave. A litter
of 3 to 5 young are born weighing 3.5 to 6.5 ounces. After about
6 weeks, females and their newborn rejoin the band, chasing away
the adult males to go their solitary way again. |
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What does it eat?
Coatis show considerable preference for certain foods and are fairly
discriminating eaters. This may be, in part, because of their keen
sense of smell. Coatis turn over rocks and logs to find small rodents,
lizards, snakes, scorpions, insects and grubs. Coatis' diet also
consists of a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Coatis
are diurnal and forage from dusk to dawn.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
No, they are abundant south of the United States border. In the
U.S., they can be commonly seen in the Sky Islands of Arizona. |
