Nasua nasua
South American Coati
Description:
The South American Coatis have thick grayish red fur on the upper side of their body which gradually lightens towhite on their under side. The hair is long and coarse giving their coat a dull look. The head is narrow with a long snout that ends with an upturned wet black nose that protrudes beyond the lower mandible. The nose is highly mobile which it uses to probe crevices and small holes for food (Emmons 1990). Looking at the skull there is no postorbital process on the zygomata and the auditory bulla are quite large. The Coati’s dentition is 3/3 1/1 4/4 2/2 = 40. The upper and lower canine teeth in adult males are largeand the premolars have two or three roots (Hoffmeister 1986).
The cheeks and face are black except for pale patches above and below each eye, and at the end of the snout before the nose. The ears of the Coati are small, rounded and white on the inside. Nasua nasua have dark brown legs and feet with long claws on the forefeet (Emmons1990). The tail is long, tapered, and blackish brown with pale yellow stripes that encircle it. While foragingon the ground, the tail is usually erect with the tip curled up (Nowak 1991).
An adult South American coati is 47cm to 61cm long from the head to the base of the tail. The coati’s tail is about the length of its body at 45cm to 65cm, and stands 30cm tall at the shoulder. The average weight is 3-7kg with the males being slightly larger than the females (Allen 1987). Their average body temperature is 100° to 102°F (38° to 39°C). In the wild the average lifespan is 7-12 years, but have known to live much longer in captivity (Nowak 1991).
Distribution:
Nasua nasua have a large range in South America, which includes every country as far north and Columbia to south as Argentina and Uruguay. They are not found west of the AndesMountains. They also have been found in Central America and in the southern United States such as Arizona and Texas. Their migration north is thought to have occurred due to a lack of predators between South America and the southern United States (Anderson 1987). Coatis can adapt to almost any habitat because of the vast array food they consume. They have been known to occupy forested habitats, such as evergreen and deciduous forests, gallery and cloud forests, chaco, and savannas (Beisiegel 2001).
Population densities for Coatis are 26-42 sq kilometer, as reported on the BarroColoradoIsland in Panama. However, densities are much less in other areas, such as the southern United States where they are 1.2-2.0 per sq kilometer. Male Coatis, over the age of two, live solitary lives and only join into groups during mating season. The expulsion of the males is a survival tactic for the females and juveniles because in times of hardships a male will revert to cannibalism and feed upon the young. Females and juveniles live together in large groups of up to 30 members. Males defend a home territory about .7-5.5 sq kilometers. The females and juveniles have a territory of .3-.4 sq kilometers that are undefended and overlap. Most of their time, 80 percent, is spent in the core of the home range (Nowak 1991).
Ontogeny and Reproduction:
There is one breeding season whichcorrelates to the period of time when there is an over abundance of fruit. During this time a male will be acceptedinto a group of females and juveniles, but will be completely subordinate to the females (Nowak 1991). The Coatis exhibit polygamy, where the one male willmate with all the receptive females in estrus and then disperse, leaving the females to rear the young (Emmons).
When the females become pregnant, they leave the group to construct a nest in a tree. After a gestation period of 10-11 weeks, the females will give birth to a litter of two to seven offspring, weighing between 100 and 180 grams each. Within eleven days the young will have opened their eyes and by 4 weeks they leave the nest to join the mothers group. In four months they will be weaned form their mother, and reach adult size in 15 months. It takes two years for the Nasua nasua to reach sexual maturity, which they will either leave the group (male) or began estrus (female) (Nowak 1991).
Behavior and Ecology:
Adult males can be seen moving around at night, but these animals are largely diurnal, spending most of their time foraging for food in trees and on the ground (Nowak 1991). They are very agile in trees where they eat, mate, give birth, and sleep, this is due to their long tail which help them maintain their balance. According to the 2000 study by the University of São PauloBrazil, Nasua nasua were observed in arboreal settings 69.5 percent of the time compared to 30.5 percent being spent on the ground (Beisiegel 2001). Adult male coatis mark their territory by secreting sebaceous material from an anal glad. These glands are on either side of the anus and have four to five openings per side. This can also be mixed with urine to provide a more identifying odor (Gompper 1998).
Nasua nasuas are considered carnivores and lack a cecum but their diet is quite different. They are considered omnivorous because their diet adapts quickly when a food supply comes into high or low supply. During the mating season when fruit is abundant they are almost solely frugivors feeding on ripe fruits and nuts (Nowak 1991). They have been seen foraging for food by digging a hole in the ground with their forefeet and tearing apart rotted logs to search for invertebrates. They also browse through the ground litter in search of lizards, snakes, frogs, and will consume carrion when available (Hoffmeister 1986). Adult males will even prey on large rodents when they are capable of doing so. Coatis rarely pose a threat to farmers; they account for a very small percentage of crop damage and chicken losses (Nowak 1991). In more urban areas they are also known to rummage through peoples garbage when left out. With such a diverse appetite these animals will feed on what is most easily accessed. (Allen 1987).
Nasua nasua give calls to communicate with each other when they get separated. These are soft whining sounds which help the group stay together while foraging in different areas. They also emit alarm calls that sound like explosive woofs and clicks,to alert group members of danger (Emmons 1990). Coatis use the trees to escape from danger, and many of the trees are hollowed out so they can completely disappear
There are many animals that prey upon Nasuanasua; most often it is large cats, who share the same habitat as the Coatis. Some of these include pumas, ocelots, and jaguars. Also large birds of prey and boa constrictors feed one them occasionally. Humans also pose a threat to them because indigenous people hunt them as a food staple. This is not seen in all cultures because some societies have taboos about eating them (Gompper 1998).
Remarks:
The Nasua nasua has many common names through out its large range. The most common is Coati or in the United States short tailed coati, South American Coati. In Paraguay the most common name is gato solo and in Brazil it is quati. Many countries have the same name for them such as Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador all refer to them as tejón.
Literature Cited:
Nowak, M. Walker’s Mammals of the World. 5th Edition, Volume 2. John Hopkins
University Press, 1991. 1101-1102.
Gompper, M., D. Decker.Mammalian Species. Jun. 1998. American Society of
Mammalogists. 9 Nov. 2004.
Emmons, Louise H. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals. The University of Chicago Press,
1990. 138-139.
Hoffmeister, Donald F. Mammals of Arizona. The University of Arizona Press, 1986.
488-490.
Allen, Thomas B., ed. Wild Animals of North America. The National
Geographic Society, 1987. 246-247.
Beisiegel, B M. Brazilian Journal of Mammology. 30 Nov. 2001. University
of São Paulo. 23 Sept. 2004
Reference written by Steve Rood, Biology 378 (Mammalogy), University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Edited by Christopher Yahnke. Page last updatedAugust 15, 2005.