The coati is found primarily in Mexico, Central America, and South America.
The coati is a relative of the raccoon, found mainly in Mexico, Central and South America. However, this animal is now frequently seen in Texas and Arizona, having once crossed the border into Mexico. Since they are good at finding food, their introduction to the United States could lead to the emergence of coati populations in the United States, where climates are temperate.
There are several species: the ring-tailed, the white-nosed and the island coati. An animal called the Dwarf Mountain Coati derives from a different genus than the Nasua genus, to which all three species belong. The physical differences between the three recognized species are not significant.
Differences include lighter or darker coats and markings on the tail and face. The white-nosed coati has the characteristic elongated black nose, but its snout is white, hence the term. For the most part, American immigrant coatis are of the white-nosed variety, which tends to look more like the raccoon. Its fur is reddish and it has a striped black tail.
The face and snout of the coati are easily distinguished from the raccoon. The mouth and nose are much longer, and the tail is also considerably longer than a raccoon’s short, bushy story. However, they both like to eat bugs and fruit and are good problem solvers. As for food, the coati prefers mainly insects for food, while the raccoon is known to attack garbage cans and consume small rodents.
Perhaps one of the reasons coatis have made such a successful transition to the United States is the fact that they are primarily diurnal, hunting and foraging during the day. The raccoon, on the other hand, is nocturnal. Therefore, the two species have little chance of colliding with each other.
The coati can vary in size depending on the type, but adults tend to weigh around 16 pounds (7.26 kg). From tail to snout, they measure about 4 feet (1.21 m). About half of this measurement is the length of the tail. The body size is equivalent to that of a reasonably large domestic cat.
The female tends to live in groups of up to 30 members. The males are solitary, on the other hand, they only join the group to mate. Sexually mature females tend to breed once a year and have two to five children. A typical pregnancy lasts about two months. The female will raise her young for the first two years. Female pups usually join the group or herd to which the mother belongs. Men are encouraged to go out.
In captivity, a coati can live up to 15 years, but in the wild they tend to be shorter-lived. They are usually seen as prey by predators such as the cougar, jaguar and panther. Although the animal can often be found on the ground searching for insects, it tends to make nests in trees for itself and its young to avoid being seen by big cats.
Coatis seem to be unafraid of humans and some South American residents keep them as pets. Like their raccoon cousins, they can never be considered fully tame and are best left in their natural environment. You should never approach a wild coati as, like the raccoon, it can be unpredictable, its bite is sharp, and it is vulnerable to rabies.
While the ring-tailed and white-nosed coatis are doing well despite encroachments on their habitats, the island coati, which lives exclusively on Cozumel, an island off the coast of Mexico, is listed as endangered. In island populations, animals that lose their habitat have nowhere to go. This led to a significant decrease in the number. The World Wildlife Foundation is currently working on creating a protected area for the island’s population so that their numbers can be restored.