Wildlife: White-nosed coati are omnivorous and climbs trees to sleep on branches

A White-nosed coati is seen in Tikal National Park, in Peten, Guatemala. The white-nosed coati Nasua narica, also known as the coatimundi, is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae raccoons and their relatives. Local Spanish names for the species include pizote, antoon, and tejón, depending upon the region. The males are much larger than females. On average, the nose-to-tail length of the species is about 110cm 3.6ft with about half of that being the tail length. White-nosed coatis inhabit wooded areas dry and moist forests of the Americas. They are found at any altitude from sea level to 3,000m 9,800ft, and from as far north as southeastern Arizona and New Mexico, through Mexico and Central America, to far northwestern Colombia Gulf of Urabá region, near Colombian border with Panama. There has been considerable confusion over its southern range limit, but specimen records from most of Colombia only exception is far northwest and Ecuador are all South American coatis. They are omnivores, preferring small vertebrates, fruits, carrion, insects, snakes and eggs. They can climb trees easily, where the tail is used for balance, but they are most often on the ground foraging. Their predators include boas, raptors, hunting cats, and Tayras Eira barbara. They readily adapt to human presence; like raccoons, they will raid campsites and trash receptacles. They can be tamed easily, and have been verified experimentally to be quite intelligent.

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