Central America Wildlife - Coatis

Coatis are related to the raccoon. They have a long snout, an elongated body, and a long bushy banded tail. The Coati is also known as the White-nosed Coati and Coatimundi. It is diurnal and lives in both, the ground and in the trees. Their ankles are double jointed and extremely flexible, enabling the animal to descend trees headfirst.

The coati's pelage is generally brownish in color, ranging from cinnamon to chocolate brown. The tail has dark brown rings. Coatis feed on a variety of invertebrates such as beetles, grubs, ants, termites, spiders, scorpions, and land crabs, and some other animals like lizards, frogs, small rodents, and some fruit. They will also feed on reptile eggs. The males are significantly larger than the females and may be more than 1.27 m long and may weigh up to 25 pounds. They can live an average of 14 years in the wild.

Coatis are generally active during the day. Males are typically solitary except during breeding season and are active during the night, but females and their young usually form small groups called bands of 4 to 20 individuals. The breeding season is in February and March. During this time the male is subservient to the female. The closest dominant males to a given band join temporarily. The dominant male breeds with all the females in season from in the band. Soon after mating, the male is expelled from the band. Then females construct nests of sticks and leaves in a secluded area, usually in a tree.

Soon after mating, the male is expelled from the band. Then females construct nests of sticks and leaves in a secluded area, usually in a tree. After the gestation period of 75 days 3 to 5 young are born. They are often very small, weighing 3 ounces. Their eyes dont open until the 12th day. At six weeks old they begin exploring the area and foraging with their mother. At four months they are completely weaned.

These guys live in a wide variety of terrain, such as the lowland rainforests, river woodlands, bushy and rocky terrain, though they are usually found in heavily forested areas. They range from the southwestern United States in Arizona to Argentina and Uruguay. Coatis are not endangered, but their numbers are reducing fast. They are hunted by humans for food and for damaging crops.

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