| Coatimundis You Have Seen Them But What The Heck Are They |
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| Monday, 04 April 2005 | |
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Who lives in our back yard? We have all seen them, and these funny raccoon like creatures have become part of our day to day life while living here in the Riviera Maya. My husband and I have one that comes and visits our yard in search of treats, and he is now known affectionately as Sherman aka “The Sherminator.” I decided to do a little research on the Coatimundi, and here is what I found out....
Coatis are found mainly in wooded areas and although their main staple is insects they will eat fruits and berries when available. Foraging in the trees, as well as on the ground, they use their semi- prehensile tail for balance while searching out insects. Keeping their noses close to the ground, they sniff for beetles, worms, grubs, ants, termites, scorpions, centipedes and other juicy insects. While moving along searching for food, Coatis usually carry the tail erect except for the curled tip. Female Coatis usually hang out in groups of up to 20, where adult males are known to fly solo. This social structure appears to benefit the group by acting as a defense mechanism to protect the babies. In February and March the most dominate of the solitary males, living near the group of females and babies, gradually joins the group. He then breeds with each of the females as they come into season. Mating generally occurs in a tree, and as soon as the mating season comes to an end the male is “kicked out” of the group of females. Two to three weeks before giving birth, females leave the group and to build a nest made out of sticks, branches and leaves in a quiet and secluded area. After a 75 day gestation period females usually have litters of 3 to5 babies, weighing only three to six ounces each! At the age of six weeks they begin to explore the area around the nest and by four months are completely weaned. They are considered full grown and mature by the time they are two, and they can live up to 15 years.
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The ring-tailed Coatimundi, or Coati, can be found all the way from southeastern Arizona to northern Argentina and Uruguay. The Coatimundi is a carnivore, and can be about 12 inches tall, and they can weigh up to 6 kilograms. Males are usually larger than the females, and they both have coarse reddish-brown to blackish hair. Their face has either black or grey markings and their tail is banded with concentric circles. Their nose looks similar to that of an anteater, and the tip of their nose is extremely flexible for investigating small, hard to reach, crevices or holes. Their front legs are short and very strong with long claws extending from their feet, and their tails are exceptionally long. Coati ankles are extremely flexible, enabling them to climb down tress head first.
Although some humans do keep Coatimundis as pets, they do best in their natural environments. Some animals that are threats, and predators of the Coatimundi, are the tayra, fox, jaguarundi, jaguar, ocelot, margay, and, of course, humans, as in their habitat, they are often hunted for their meat. Coati numbers are declining as a result of deforestation. So next time you come across one of these cute, funny, intelligent creatures be respectful, and know they are an integral part of the fauna here in the Riviera Maya.
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