The Coati

May 15, 2011 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana

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Coatis genera, also known as hog-nosed coons, snookum bears, and Brazilian aardvarks, are members of the raccoon family. They are diurnal mammals native to South, Central, and south-western North America. The word coatimundi is a commonly used misnomer applied to solitary adult males.
Adult coatis measure 33 to 69 centimetres (cm) or between 13 and 27 inches from head to the base of the tail, which can be as long as their bodies. Coatis are about 30 cm (12 inches) tall at the shoulder, and weigh between three and eight kilograms (kg) which is equivalent to between six and 18 pounds, about the size of a large housecat.
Males can become almost twice as large as females and have large, sharp canine teeth. All coatis share a slender head with an elongated, flexible, slightly upward-turned 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 under-part 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 the raccoons and unlike ringtails and cacomistles, the rings go completely around the tail. Coatis often hold the tail erect, and it used as such to keep troops of coatis together in tall vegetation. The tip of the tail can be moved a bit 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 coatis, raccoons, and bears walk plantigrade, that is on the soles of the feet as do people. They have non-retractable claws and also have in common with raccoons and other procyonids, and others in the order Carnivora and rare cases amongst other mammals, double-jointed ankles rotatable beyond 180 degrees. As a result they have the ability 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, ferret-skunk, cat, and bear families. Some of these animals walk on the toes of the front paws and soles of the back paws.
The coati snout is long and somewhat pig-like and extremely flexible and can be rotated up to 60 degrees in any direction, the former being part of the reason for its nickname, the hog-nosed raccoon. The nose is utilised to push objects and rub parts of their body.
The facial markings include white markings around the eyes and on the ears and snout, and they have strong limbs to climb and dig, and have a reputation for intelligence, like their fellow procyonid the raccoon. They prefer to sleep or rest in elevated places and niches, like the rainforest canopy, in crudely-built sleeping nests.
Coati species 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. Some coati species have different geographical occurrences and can be told apart by their size, build, voice, and their hide colour.
In the wild, coatis live for about seven to eight years, while in captivity they can live for up to 15 years. And since they are omnivores their diet consists mainly of ground litter, invertebrates and fruit. They also eat small vertebrate prey, such as lizards, rodents, small birds, and bird’s eggs. The snout, with a formidable sense of smell, assists the skilled paws in a hog-like manner to unearth invertebrates.
Coatis’ breeding season mainly corresponds with the start of the rainy season to coincide with maximum availability of food, especially fruits: between January and March in some areas, and between October and February in others.
During the breeding season, an adult male is accepted into the band of females and juveniles near the beginning of the breeding season, leading to a polygynous mating system.
The pregnant females separate from the group, build a nest on a tree or in a rocky niche and, after a gestation period of about 11 weeks, give birth to litters of three to seven young. About six weeks after birth, the females and their young will rejoin the band. Females become sexually mature at two years of age, while males will acquire sexual maturity at three years of age. Members of the coati band will follow the pregnant female and eat the young that are born.
Natural enemies include jaguarundis, foxes, tayras, ocelots, jaguars, hawks, eagles, and humans. White-faced capuchin monkeys also hunt their pups. They also face unregulated hunting and the serious threat of environmental destruction in Central and South America. The absence of scientifically sound population studies of them in the wild is probably leading to a severe underestimation of the ecological problems and decline in numbers affecting the species in both Central and South America.

(Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)

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