Species Highlight: White-nosed coati (Nasua narica), or coatimundi

White-nosed coati peeking out of a den

Coatis are adorable, clever, creatures that look like an amalgamation of a few species - lemurs, raccoons, greyhounds, anything that’s cute and furry. Sometimes they’re referred to as monkey puppies around the Watershed Restoration Program office.  They are actually closely related to raccoons, as well as the Ringtail, Arizona's state mammal. These three species belong to the taxonomic family Procyonidae, within the order Carnivora. Other family members include more tropical species like kinkajous, cacomistles, and olingos. The Madrean Archipelago is a unique, biodiverse epicenter that allows a myriad of different ecosystems to overlap and wildlife to thrive, including tropical and sub-tropical species like the coati, whose northern range extends into Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. 

Southern Arizona is home to the white-nosed coati, and their range extends south into Central America and Colombia. Three other species are found in South America: the brown-nosed coati which is found throughout Brasil, and two mountain coati species are found in the northwestern corner of the continent at higher altitudes. Their name originates from the indigenous Tuipan languages of Brasil, which is a combination of ‘nose’ and ‘belt’, referring to the way they sleep with their nose tucked into their belly.  The term ‘coatimundi’ is sometimes used when talking about these animals, and means ‘lone coati’, which is most often used to refer to lone males.

White-nosed coati passing through a wash at Borderlands Wildlife Preserve

Coatis have coexisted with people for millenia, and play an important role in Indigenous mythology throughout the Americas. They are often symbols of intelligence, agricultural fertility, tricksters and clowns, and creation. For the Maya people, a Coati avatar represented the grandmother creator goddess, Zaqi-Nima Tziis, also known as The Great White Coati, or Grandmother Dawn. Their playful and curious nature make them easily accustomed to humans, and were known to be kept as family or community ‘pets’. They were also targets of subsistence hunting and were sometimes seen as pests because they can raid crops. The Coati was often incorporated into Indigenous art, instruments, and pottery.

White-nosed coatis are easily distinguished from other Procyonids, especially here in the borderlands where they are so morphologically unique! They have long, slender, and agile snouts that are slightly tipped up at the end that are helpful for rooting through dirt and leaf litter for food. Their noses can bend 60 degrees in any direction! Like the closely related raccoon, they have a brown mask and white eye rings. The rest of their body is a dark to light brown or almost blonde color, with darker brown legs. Their tail is long with alternating dark and light brown rings. They are plantigrade, meaning they walk on the bottom of their feet like bears do. They have long toes with long claws that also help them dig and forage for food on the ground. 

Coatis mostly inhabit oak woodlands, rocky canyons, and riparian corridors anywhere from 4,500 ft - 7,000 ft. Although uncommon, they can be seen throughout the Sky Islands, and have extended their range as far north as Flagstaff. They are diurnal and forage for food throughout the day, including insects, arachnids, rodents, small reptiles, birds and their eggs, as well as fruit and seeds. While they are mostly ground dwelling, they are excellent climbers and swimmers, with their long, ringed-tail helping them balance. They will usually spend the night in trees, sleeping in nests or crooks. At Borderlands Wildlife Preserve, we almost always capture photos of coatimundis (a lone coati) who are visiting a wildlife drinker, foraging for food, or are on the move.

Coati social structure changes throughout the year. Females stay together in bands until breeding season. Males and females mate early in the year, and give birth to 2-6 kits in the Spring. Once females are pregnant, they drive the males away and then find a nest in a tree to give birth. Once kits are about a month old, they leave their home and reunite with a larger band for the rest of the year, which can be made up of 30 individuals! Coatis are quite sociable, and chatty. They make a wide variety of noises that range from chirps and squeaks to snuffs and grunts. Communicating with other band members helps to maintain social bonds and keep the group together.

Coatis are covered in fur, and have a tail that is as long as their body, so they dedicate some time to grooming themselves and each other. They are also known to ‘self-anoint’ which is when animals bath themselves using some kind of ‘soap’ like tree resin. This can help with skin irritation, or help repel parasites and insects.

White-nosed coatis are one of the many unique and special species in the borderlands that can’t be seen anywhere else in the country. Our home in the Sky Islands is so rich in biodiversity, and Borderlands Wildlife Preserve helps protect a small piece of wildlife habitat, so that people may see and enjoy the monkey puppies for years to come!