White-nosed coati
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The white-nosed coati (Nasua narica),<ref name=MSW3>Template:MSW3</ref> also known as the coatimundi (Template:IPAc-en),<ref name=iucn/><ref>Animal Diversity Web at University of Michigan. "Coatis are also referred to in some texts as coatimundis. The name coati or coatimundi is Tupian Indian in origin."</ref> is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae (raccoons and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include antoon, gato solo, pizote, and tejón, depending upon the region.<ref>"Tejón", which means badger, is mainly used in Mexico.</ref> It weighs about Template:Cvt, and the nose-to-tail length of the species is about Template:Cvt with about half of that being the tail length.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> However, small females can weigh as little as Template:Cvt, while large males can weigh as much as Template:Cvt.<ref>Gompper, Matthew E. "Sociality and asociality in white-nosed coatis (Nasua narica): foraging costs and benefits." Behavioral ecology 7.3 (1996): 254-263.</ref><ref name=Valenzuela>Valenzuela, David. "Natural history of the white-nosed coati, Nasua narica, in a tropical dry forest of western Mexico." Revista Mexicana de Mastozoología (Nueva época) 3.1 (1998): 26-44.</ref>
Distribution and habitatEdit
The white-nosed coati is distributed from as far north as Flagstaff, Arizona,<ref name=DailySun> {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> New Mexico, through Mexico, Central America, and the far northwestern region of Colombia near the border with Panama.<ref name=Decker>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=GuzmanLenis>Template:Cite journal</ref> It inhabits wooded areas in tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests at elevations from sea level to Template:Cvt.<ref name=Reid>Template:Cite book</ref>
Coatis from Cozumel Island have been treated as a separate species, the Cozumel Island coati, but the vast majority of recent authorities treat it as a subspecies, N. narica nelsoni, of the white-nosed coati.<ref name=MSW3/><ref name=iucn /><ref name=Reid/><ref name=HMW>Kays, R. (2009). White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica), pp. 527–528 in: Wilson, D. E., and R. A. Mittermeier, eds. (2009). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1, Carnivores. Template:ISBN</ref> They are smaller than white-nosed coatis from the adjacent mainland (N. n. yucatanica), but when compared more widely to white-nosed coatis the difference in size is not as clear.<ref name=Decker/> The level of other differences also support its status as a subspecies rather than separate species.<ref name=Decker/>
White-nosed coatis have also been found in Florida, where they were introduced. It is unknown precisely when introduction occurred; an early specimen in the Florida Museum of Natural History, labeled an "escaped captive", dates to 1928. There are several later documented cases of coatis escaping captivity, and since the 1970s there have been a number of sightings, and several live and dead specimens of various ages have been found. These reports have occurred over a wide area of southern Florida, and there is probable evidence of breeding, indicating that the population is well established.<ref name=Simberloff>Template:Cite book</ref>
Behavior and ecologyEdit
Unlike many of their Procyonidae cousins, such as raccoons and kinkajous, coatis are diurnal and therefore do much of their foraging during the day.<ref name="NatGeo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
PollinationEdit
White-nosed coatis are known pollinators of the balsa tree, as observed in a study of a white-nosed coati population in Costa Rica.<ref name=Mora>Template:Cite journal</ref> The coati were observed inserting their noses into the flowers of the tree and ingesting nectar, while the flower showed no subsequent signs of damage. Pollen from the flowers covers the face of the coati following feeding and disseminates through the surrounding forest following detachment. Scientists observed a dependent relationship between the balsa tree, which provides a critical resource of hydration and nutrition to the white-nosed coati when environmental resources are scarce, and the coati, which increases proliferation of the tree through pollination.<ref>Kobayashi, Shun, et al. "Pollination partners of Mucuna macrocarpa (F abaceae) at the northern limit of its range." Plant Species Biology 30.4 (2015): 272-278.</ref><ref>Mora, José M., Vivian V. Méndez, and Luis D. Gómez. "White-nosed coati Nasua narica (Carnivora: Procyonidae) as a potentialpollinator of Ochroma pyramidale (Bombacaceae)." Revista de Biología Tropical 47.4 (1999): 719-721.</ref>
Feeding habitsEdit
The white-nosed coati is an omnivore and forages mostly on the ground for small vertebrates, fruits, carrion, insects, snakes, and eggs. It can climb trees easily and uses its tail for balancing.<ref name="Gompper">Gompper, Matthew (1995). Mammalian Species, Nausua Narica. The American Society of Mammalogists.</ref>
Reproduction and life spanEdit
Adult male coatis live solitary lives except during the mating season. Female coatis live in groups, called bands, with their offspring, including males less than two years old. Gestation lasts 10 to 11 weeks, and litters consist of two to seven young. The young are weaned at four months and reach adult size at 15 months.<ref name="Smithsonian">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Coatis can live as long as seven years in the wild. In captivity, the average lifespan is about 14 years, but some coatis in human care have been known to live into their late teens.<ref name="Smithsonian" />
ConservationEdit
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists both the white-nosed coati and the South American coati as least concern. However, the coati is an endangered species in New Mexico.<ref name="Smithsonian" />