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Home > Coniferous Forest Animals > White-Nosed Coati (Coatimundi)

White-Nosed Coati (Coatimundi)

White-nosed Coati, also called Coatimundi, is a species of mammals belonging to the raccoon family indigenous to the southwestern North America, Central America, and South America. It has a narrow, elongated head with small, rounded ears and a pointed, flexible snout that is somewhat tilted up while its tail is furry and tapers to the tip. Its face has a dark brown or blackish gray color with white patches occurring around its ears, nose, and eyes.

White Nosed Coati

White Nosed Coati

White Nose Coati Range

White Nose Coati Range

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Procyonidae
Genus Nasua
Scientific Name Nasua narica
White Nosed Coati Pictures

White Nosed Coati Pictures

White Nosed Coati Images

White Nosed Coati Images

Quick Information

Other Names Coati à museau blanc, Coati à nez blanc (French); Coatí de nariz blanca (Spanish); Pizote, Tejón, Antoon (Local Names)
Subspecies
  • N. n. molaris
  • N. n. narica
  • N. n. yucatanica
  • N. n. nelsoni
Size Head-body length: 46-69 cm

Tail: 49-62 cm

Hind foot: 9-15 cm

Weight 8.8-13.2 lbs (4-6 kg) on average
Color Dark brown upperparts, grizzled gray forequarters, dark brown tail and feet, light rings on the tail, frosted white chest and throat, frosted white/dark brown belly
Distribution Arizona and southern New Mexico (United States), Mexico, Central America, Panama, west of the Andes (South America)
Habitat Open forests, woodlands, desert, open grasslands, chaparral coniferous forests, isolated mountain ranges
Sounds Emits soft humming sounds to communicate, uses a combination of woofing and clicking to sound off an alarm call
Lifespan 14 years (in the wild)
Diet Omnivorous animals; primarily feed on insects such as spiders, beetles, ants, termites, centipedes, land crabs, grubs, scorpions; also eats fruits and occasionally hunts small vertebrates including lizards, frogs, and mice, sometimes take carrion
Adaptations Long snout used for poking under rocks as well as into small fissures helps in searching for food; long, powerful claws aid in digging; tail is used for balancing while climbing trees
Diseases Rabies, canine distemper
Breeding Season January-March
Size of litter 2-7 babies
Gestation Period 77-78 days
Predators Birds of prey, Tayras, boas, hunting cats
IUCN Conservation Status Least Concern
Coatimundi

Coatimundi

Coatimundi Pictures

Coatimundi Pictures

Behavior

The coatimundis are predominantly diurnal animals though some adult males are occasionally active at night. During the day, they spend most of the time on the ground keeping their long muzzles low to sniff out food, but they take shelter in treetops to avoid predators at night.

Male coatis are solitary, and they establish their territories through scent marks by spreading anal secretions and urine. On the other hand, females live and travel with young coatis in bands comprising 4-40 individuals. Not just the mothers, but other females in a social group also take part in grooming and nursing babies.

Coatimundi Animal

Coatimundi Animal

Coatimundi Images

Coatimundi Images

Mating and Reproduction

Once the most dominant male is allowed to join the band of females, it starts mating with each of the female members. Soon afterward, the female coatis force the male to leave the band since adult males tend to kill juveniles. About 3-4 weeks prior to giving birth, the female white-nosed coati leaves the group and starts building a nest in tree crevices.

Coatimundi Babies

Coatimundi Babies

Baby Coatimundi

Baby Coatimundi

Life Cycle

The newborns do not have fully developed eyes and are fed by their mother, who leaves the nest in search of food. After 5 months, the young ones along with their mother leave the nest and join their band. Even though weaned at 4 months, the young coatis remain under their mother’s care until she departs the group to give birth. They become sexually matured at 2-3 years of age.

Coatimundi Pet

Coatimundi Pet

Coatimundi Teeth

Coatimundi Teeth

Interesting Facts

  • In some areas, white-nosed coatis are hunted by the local people for meat.
  • Like raccoons, the coatis are not shy of human presence. In fact, they are known to raid campsites as well as trash containers.
  • These intelligent animals can be easily tamed.
White Nose Coati

White Nose Coati

White Nosed Coati Baby

White Nosed Coati Baby

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-nosed_coati
  2. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nasua_narica/
  3. http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/coati.htm
  4. https://animalia.bio/white-nosed-coati
  5. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41683/45216060

Published on April 15th 2016 by admin under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2022.

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