South American Coati or Ring-tailed Coati

Description:

The South American coati, or ring-tailed coati (Nasua nasua), is a species of coati from tropical and subtropical South America. In Brazilian Portuguese it is known as quati. Weight in this species is 2–7.2 kg (4.4–16 lb) and total length is 85–113 cm (33–44 in), half of that being its tail. Its color is highly variable and the rings on the tail may be quite weak, but it lacks the largely white muzzle ("nose") of its northern cousin, the white-nosed coati. The South American coati is widespread in tropical and substropical South America. Most of its distribution is in the lowlands east of the Andes (locally, it occurs as high as 2,500 m or 8,200 ft), from Colombia and The Guianas south to Uruguay and northern Argentina (Chile is the only South American country where the species is not found). South American coatis generally live for up to 7 years in the wild, but can live up to 14 years in captivity.

Habitat:

South American coatis are diurnal animals, and they live both on the ground and in trees. They typically live in the forest. They are omnivorous and primarily eat fruit, invertebrates, other small animals and bird's eggs. 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. They also search for animal prey by turning over rocks on the ground or ripping open logs with their claws.

Notes:

On a visit to the Iguazu Falls last year, these Coati's were all over the place. Picture 1 was taken on the Argentinian side of the falls, and all the rest were on the Brazillian side. The way down to the place where one can see the falls on the Brazillian side, was narrow and through quite dense greenery. There were very few people on the path first thing in the morning and the Coatis were foraging for food. But when someone came along, they were definitely not shy about begging! They would appear out of the greenery beside the path in large numbers, totally fearless.