The white-nosed coati ( Nasua narica),[ Animal Diversity Web at University of Michigan. "Coatis are also referred to in some texts as coatimundis. The name coati or coatimundi is Tupian Indian in origin."] is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae ( and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include antoon, gato solo, pizote, and tejón, depending upon the region.["Tejón", which means badger, is mainly used in Mexico.] It weighs about , and the nose-to-tail length of the species is about with about half of that being the tail length.[Gompper, Matthew E. "Sociality and asociality in white-nosed coatis (Nasua narica): foraging costs and benefits." Behavioral ecology 7.3 (1996): 254-263.][Valenzuela, David. "Natural history of the white-nosed coati, Nasua narica, in a tropical dry forest of western Mexico." Revista Mexicana de Mastozoología (Nueva época) 3.1 (1998): 26-44.]
Distribution and habitat
The white-nosed coati is distributed from as far north as Flagstaff, Arizona,[ ] New Mexico, through Mexico, Central America, and the far northwestern region of Colombia near the border with Panama.
Coatis from Cozumel Island have been treated as a separate species, the Cozumel Island coati, but the vast majority of recent authorities treat it as a subspecies, N. narica nelsoni, of the white-nosed coati.[Kays, R. (2009). White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica), pp. 527–528 in: Wilson, D. E., and R. A. Mittermeier, eds. (2009). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1, Carnivores. ] They are smaller than white-nosed coatis from the adjacent mainland ( N. n. yucatanica), but when compared more widely to white-nosed coatis the difference in size is not as clear.[ The level of other differences also support its status as a subspecies rather than separate species.][
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White-nosed coatis have also been found in Florida, where they were introduced. It is unknown precisely when introduction occurred; an early specimen in the Florida Museum of Natural History, labeled an "escaped captive", dates to 1928. There are several later documented cases of coatis escaping captivity, and since the 1970s there have been a number of sightings, and several live and dead specimens of various ages have been found. These reports have occurred over a wide area of southern Florida, and there is probable evidence of breeding, indicating that the population is well established.
Behavior and ecology
Unlike many of their Procyonidae cousins, such as raccoons and , coatis are diurnal and therefore do much of their foraging during the day.
Pollination
White-nosed coatis are known of the Ochroma, as observed in a study of a white-nosed coati population in Costa Rica.[Kobayashi, Shun, et al. "Pollination partners of Mucuna macrocarpa (F abaceae) at the northern limit of its range." Plant Species Biology 30.4 (2015): 272-278.][Mora, José M., Vivian V. Méndez, and Luis D. Gómez. "White-nosed coati Nasua narica (Carnivora: Procyonidae) as a potentialpollinator of Ochroma pyramidale (Bombacaceae)." Revista de Biología Tropical 47.4 (1999): 719-721.]
Feeding habits
The white-nosed coati is an omnivore and forages mostly on the ground for small , , carrion, , , and eggs. It can climb trees easily and uses its tail for balancing.[Gompper, Matthew (1995). Mammalian Species, Nausua Narica. The American Society of Mammalogists.]
Reproduction and life span
male coatis live solitary lives except during the mating season. Female coatis live in groups, called bands, with their offspring, including males less than two years old. Gestation lasts 10 to 11 weeks, and litters consist of two to seven young. The young are weaned at four months and reach adult size at 15 months.
Coatis can live as long as seven years in the wild. In captivity, the average lifespan is about 14 years, but some coatis in human care have been known to live into their late teens.
Conservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both the white-nosed coati and the South American coati as least concern. However, the coati is an endangered species in New Mexico.
See also
External links
