South American Coati
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The South American Coati, or Ring-tailed Coati (Nasua nasua), is a species of coati from South America. It is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela.[1]
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Physical description
Like all coatis, the South American Coati is a member of the raccoon family, Procyonidae.[1] It has reddish fur and a ringed tail.[3] The face and feet are black, while the belly is white.[4] There is also a white spot above each eye and on each cheek.[4] One feature that distinguishes the South American Coati from a raccoon is the long, flexible snout.[3] The South American Coati has a length of 80 to 130 centimeters, slightly more than half of which is tail[4][3], which generally measures 42 to 55 centimeters.[5] Body weight is 3 to 7.2 kilograms, with males being larger than females.[5][3]
The South America Coati is similar in appearance to the White-nosed Coati, Nasua narica, which lives in North and Central America, as well as the extreme northwestern portion of South America. It differs in the color of the fur, which is more greyish in the White-nosed Coati. The White-nosed Coati also has a white band around the end of its snout.[4] The South American Coati is also similar in appearance to the Andean Coati, Nasuella olivacea, but Andean Coatis are smaller and have smaller canine teeth.[5]
Behavior
South American Coatis are diurnal animals, and they live both on the ground and in trees.[5] They typically live in the forest.[3] They are omnivorous and primarily eat fruit, invertebrates, other small animals and bird's eggs.[5] Coatis search for fruit in trees high in the canopy, and use their snouts to poke through crevices to find animal prey on the ground.[5] They also search for animal prey by turning over rocks on the ground or ripping open logs with their claws.[5]
Females generally live in large groups, called bands, consisting of 15 to 30 animals.[5][3] Males, on the other hand, are usually solitary.[3] Solitary males were originally considered a separate species due to the different social habits and were called "coatimundis"[3], a term still sometimes used today. Neither bands of females nor solitary males defend a unique territory, and territories therefore overlap.[3]
Group members produce soft whining sounds, but alarm calls are different, consisting of loud woofs and clicks.[5] When an alarm call is sounded, the coatis typically climb trees, and then drop down to the ground and disperse.[5] Coatis typically sleep in the trees.[5] Predators of the South American Coati include foxes, jaguars, jaguarundis, domestic dogs, and people.[6]
Reproduction
All females in a group come into heat simultaneously when fruit is in season.[3] Females mate with multiple males.[3] Gestation period is 77 days.[3] Females give birth to 2-4 young at a time, which are raised in a nest in the trees for 4-6 weeks.[5][3] Females leave the group during this time.[5][3] Females tend to remain with the group they were born in but males generally disperse from their mothers' group after 3 years.[3]
Other
South American Coatis generally live for up to 7 years in the wild, but can live up to 14 years in captivity.[3]
Subspecies
The South American Coati has 13 receognized subspecies[1]:
- Nasua nasua nasua
- Nasua nasua aricana
- Nasua nasua boliviensis
- Nasua nasua candace
- Nasua nasua cinerascens
- Nasua nasua dorsalis
- Nasua nasua manium
- Nasua nasua molaris
- Nasua nasua montana
- Nasua nasua quichua
- Nasua nasua solitaria
- Nasua nasua spadicea
- Nasua nasua vittata
