Most of us in the USA have never heard of the Coati, a dweller in our desert southwest(Texas, New Mexico, Arizona)...........Racoon-like in appearance,,,,,,,,an omnivore,,,,,,,,,,,pack-like traveling in groups of 6 to 24,,,,,,,,,,,,insects, lizards, fruits, nuts and eggs are principal foodstuffs........

White-NoseThe Coatid Coati

Coatimundi (Nasua narica)

Range

The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of southwestern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and the Big Bend to Brownsville areas of Texas.

Habitat

Canyons of desert mountain forests, usually near water.

Description

The Coati is a raccoon-like omnivore, but is more slender and possesses a longer snout. It is a nosy, busy little creature with an insatiable appetite. The Coati is gregarious and noisy as it travel about in groups of from 6 to 24, holding its tail almost erect and chattering with others.

This grizzled gray-brown mammal grows 30 to 55 inches long and stands 8 to 12 inches high at the shoulder. It can weigh from 10 to 25 pounds. Males are almost twice as large as females.

The Coati has a long snout that is white near the tip and around the eyes, which often have dark patches above. The Coati has small ears, dark feet and a long, thin tail (as much as 2 feet long) with 6 or 7 dark bands.

Coatis are diurnal, spending most of the day foraging for food, which includes insects, lizards, roots, fruits, nuts and eggs. They are very fond of fruit, especially the manzanita berry.



Coatis mate in early spring and deliver a litter of 4 to 6 young after a gestation period of about 11 weeks. The female educates and feeds the young from the den site, usually a rocky niche in a wooded canyon.

The only other member of this species, the Brown-nosed Coati (Nasua nasua) occurs only in South America.


-- A.R Royo