The people that know me well will know that hockey games will often affect my mood. After watching the Americans beat the Canadians tonight, you should all know that I am no longer in a very jovial mood. I figure doing a little bit of research about a cool animal will do me some good. In fact today’s animal is so cool, it needs a Coati! No that is not a spelling mistake, that is me trying to make pun since we are indeed going to learn about the Coati today. In reality though, the Coati is pronounced (ko-WAH-ti) so that wrecks the pun a little.
You may not have heard of the coati before but have you ever heard of a Snookum Bear, hog-nosed coon or Brazilian aardvark? These are just some of the other names that people call the coati. So what exactly is this animal? Well, they are members of the raccoon family which can be found in North, Central and South America. They tend to be a diurnal species foraging for food throughout the day and hanging around in the trees at night. During those blistering hot moments of the day the coati will seek refuge in their home high above the ground. Although they are considered to be a terrestrial animal, the coati will sleep, mate and give birth in the trees. The amount of time spent in the trees may help explain the need for such a long tail. This tail provides the balance necessary to manoeuvre through those tricky branches.
The coati are an omnivorous species which means they like to eat both plants and animals. They have adapted an excellent sense of smell as well as strong digging claws to help with find the meat component of their diet. They will often be seen sniffing along the ground until they catch a scent of their prey. At this point they will begin to dig into the ground and will move the dirt around using their special pig-like nose that can actually rotate 60 degrees in any direction. Maybe the police force should hire a few Coati’s for their Canine Unit. Well, I guess it would then be called a Coati Unit! Hmmmm, that actually has a pretty cool ring to it.
Writing up this post has definitely put me into a better mood which I can thank each and everyone of you for! Have a great day!
Boy does it ever look like a raccoon. What kind of animals are their prey? I noticed you stated digging, so I assume something that lives in the ground?
You can definitely tell that the coati is a relative of the raccoon! The coati likes to eat insects, rodents, lizards, snakes as well as fruits, nuts and seeds.
Thanks for the question!
Cute as they may be, raccoons proper are pests in our area. Destructive pests! And just like the coati, yes, they do spend tons of their time in trees. That was a very cool post!
Very true about raccoons being pests. Maybe they think that humans are pests for thwarting all of their efforts to obtain some yummy food!
I would really like to see a coati up close and personal but that may have to wait for a little bit. I guess I will have to settle for watching the raccoons.
I get the chance to work with a Coati, and they are truely amazing animals. Their inteligence level is remarkable, and they are just beautiful animals.
Hi Jo,
That is incredible that you have the opportunity to work with such an amazing animal.
I would love to hear any fun stories you might have about this unique creature.
I am studying for a project due in a little while. I pulled up this website and it instantly was a whole lot easier to study!! Thank you wild facts!!