The Coatimundi or Pizote

The coatimundi, or Pizote, as it is known locally in Costa Rica is a member of the raccoon family.  These curious and very intelligent creatures adapt easily to a variety of terrains and are native to the southwest United States as well as Mexico, Central and South America.

Their scientific name is the Nasua Nasua.  Their various habitats are cloud forests, rainforests, tropical dry forests and the woodlands.

The white-nosed coatimundi, or coati, is one of Costa Rica’s 200 mammal species, and is commonly mistaken for a raccoon or large house cat, as it is similar in size and appearance.  Coati fur is typically reddish brown to dark brown in color.  Their heads are long and slender with a pointed snout well-adapted to rooting in the ground for insects.  Color variations are common, but many coatis have white or cream-colored rings around their eyes, snout and tails.  Coatis can weigh upward of nine pounds and their powerful, stout legs and sharp claws make them exceptional tree climbers.  Coatimundis are diurnal, meaning they are usually most active during the day and seek the refuge of trees at night.

Like their raccoon relatives, coatis have an excellent sense of smell and are true omnivores.  In Costa Rica, they eat a variety of fruits, leaves, nuts, eggs, invertebrates, lizards, crabs, fish and small mammals.  They are also opportunistic feeders and will eat carrion if it is available.  The coati communicates through a series of grunting, chirping and snorting sounds.  In the wild, coatis have a lifespan of seven to twelve years. In captivity, they can live up to fifteen years.

They are common throughout Costa Rica and can survive in diverse habitats.  However, they prefer densely forested areas where food can easily be found.  Coatis are frequently sighted in the tropical rainforest of Manuel Antonio National Park, along the mangrove estuaries of Cahuita National Park as well as the area near Arenal Volcano.  With increased tourism, coatis have adapted easily to human presence and, like bears or raccoons, grow accustomed to being fed by people.  This can ultimately lead to aggressive behavior as they beg for food and have been known to even raid campsites.

Coati females and their young travel in bands of five to thirty individuals, spending most of their time on the ground foraging for food.  Adult males are solitary creatures except during breeding season, when they are temporarily accepted into the female social group.

Breeding season varies from one location to the next and typically correlates with availability of food.  Once a dominant male is accepted by the coati clan, he breeds with all of the females before returning to a solitary life.  Female coatis make their nests in trees and give birth to three to six young after a 75-day gestation period.  The pregnant female separate from the group, build a nest on a tree or in a rocky niche.  About 6 weeks after giving birth, the females and their young will rejoin the band.

Baby coatis are tiny (3 oz) and are completely dependent on their mothers until they are six weeks old.  Young coatis are weaned by found months and reach sexual maturity at two years of age.  In general, coatis are very playful animals and young coatis can be especially mischievous.

The white-nosed coati is not considered a threatened species.  Humans continue to encroach on coati territory, forcing these intelligent creatures to live in increasingly smaller areas.  Natural predators to the coati include ocelots, jaguarundis, jaguars, hawks, foxes and boa constrictors.  White-headed capuchin monkeys also hunt their pups.  Humans occasionally hunt coatis for food, and there is an alarming demand for coatis as domesticated pets.

As adult, their measure 33 to 69 cm (13 to 27 in) from head to the base of their tail, which can be as long as their bodies.  They are about 30 cm (12 in) tall at the shoulder, and weigh between 2 and 8 kg (4.4 to 17.6 lb) about the size of a large house cat.  Males can become almost twice as large as females and have large, sharp canine teeth.  The above measurements are for the white-nosed and South American coatis.  The two mountain coatis are smaller.

All coatis share a slender head with an elongated, flexible, slightly upward-turned nose, small ears, dark feet, and a long, non-prehensible tail used for balance and signaling.  They walk on the soles of their feet, as do humans.  They have nonretractable claws.  They are double-jointed and their ankles can rotate beyond 180 degrees; they are therefore able to descend trees head first.  The coati snout is extremely flexible, it can be rotated up to 60 degrees in any direction.  They use their noses to push objects and rub parts of their bodies.

When provoked, or for defense, coatis can be fierce fighters; their strong jaws, sharp canine teeth, and fast scratching paws, along with a tough hide sturdily attached to the underlying muscles, make it very difficult for potential predators to seize the smaller mammal.

Different chirping sounds are used to express joy during social grooming, appeasement after fights, or to convey irritation or anger.  Snorting while digging, along with an erect tail, states territorial or food claims during foraging.  They also use additional special postures or moves to convey simple messages; for example, hiding the nose between the front paws as a sign for submission; lowering the head, baring teeth, and jumping at an enemy signal an aggressive disposition.  Individuals recognize other coatis by their looks, voices and smells, the individual smell is intensified by special musk-glands on their neck and bellies.

Sometimes they rub their own fur and that of other troop members with resin from trees, probably as an insect repellent.

Coati breeding season mainly corresponds with the start of the rainy season to coincide with maximum availability of food, especially fruits:  between January and March in some areas, and between October and February in others.

Coatis face unregulated hunting and the serious threat of environmental destruction in Central and South America.  The absence of scientifically sound population studies of Nasua or Nasuella in the wild is probably leading to a severe underestimation of the ecological problems and decline in numbers affecting the species.