Natives of Central and South America, coatimundis have spread into the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern U.S. Formally known as white-nosed coatimundis, these members of the raccoon family, unlike their more widespread and familiar relatives, are diurnal and gregarious, often moving about in noisy bands composed of females and their young.
Adult males, twice as large as the females, weigh up to 25 pounds and tend to be more solitary. Mating occurs in the early spring and 4-6 young are born after a gestation of almost 3 months. Females often use rock crevices for nursery dens but she and her offspring later use crude arboreal platforms for sleeping and resting. Wandering about for much of the day, these omnivores locate food and prey with their long, tapered snout; insects, lizards, eggs, nuts and fruit comprise most of their diet. Coatimundis are agile climbers, equipped with sharp claws to grasp limbs and a long tail for balance.
Favoring wooded canyons of the Desert Southwest, white-nosed coatis and their brown-nosed South American cousins are threatened primarily by habitat loss. Natural predators include mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats and golden eagles in the U.S. and jaguars, ocelots and boas in Central and South America. Known to live up to 15 years in captivity, coatis have a natural life span of 6-8 years.
