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A nosy neighbor
The coati belongs to the family "Procyodidae". The word comes from the prefix pro, meaning 'before' and kuon, meaning 'dog'. Their most well known relative is the raccoon, which is thought to be an ancestor of the dog. Coatis have a long, slender, flexible nose that is used for detecting food items hidden in the leaf litter on the forest floor. The name "coati" is of Tupian Indian origin and refers to the manner in which the coati tucks its nose into its belly while sleeping.
Coati live in a range of habitats from rainforests to dry, arid regions. They are common in Central America and Mexico and are still found in Arizona. Once a native of Texas, so few remain that they are considered a Texas endangered species.
How they live
Coati females live with their young in groups with other mothers and young. These groups are called "bands". Bands are loosely formed and frequently change in size and membership. The young males are forced to leave the bands when they are two years of age. Males travel alone but their home ranges often overlap with female bands. Males are allowed to socialize with the bands only during the breeding season. When the female becomes pregnant she leaves her band to build a nest in a tree. There, after a gestation period of 70 to 74 days, she will have a litter of babies numbering from one to seven. The babies will stay in the nest for several weeks and then follow their mother to rejoin the band.
The coati is omnivorous, eating insects, lizards, frogs, mice, snails, and a variety of plant foods such as mango, fig, papaya, prickly pear, and juniper. Eggs are considered a delicacy. During fruiting season, individual bands will come together, sometimes numbering one hundred or more animals, and feed from the same trees.
At Fossil Rim our coatis eat meat, dry dog food, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and eggs.
Two sub-species of coati live in the Intensive Management Area and are included on the Behind the Scenes Tours.
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