One of the 3 coatis on WAnimals
Mammals · Carnivora · Procyonidae
South American Coati
Nasua nasua
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
Females and their young live in large social bands of 20 to 30, while adult males are largely solitary.
Weight
2 kg – 7.2 kg
Size
85 cm – 1.1 m
Lifespan
8 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Herd
Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- Males join the bands only briefly, during the mating season.
- It eats invertebrates, small vertebrates, fruit and eggs, found with its flexible snout.
- It lives in tropical and subtropical forest across much of South America.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Tropical and subtropical forest across much of South America, up to 2,500 m
- Birth weight
- Born in an isolated tree nest
- Size at birth
- Born in an isolated tree nest
- Sexual maturity
- Female: ~2 years | Male: ~3 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 74-77 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 3 to 7 young per litter
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 23.7 years
Sources consulted: Wikipedia (South American coati); Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Altina Wildlife Park; PMC (Trypanosoma infections Pantanal study)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round, by day; the females and young move in noisy bands that are easy to detect.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 36 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with South American Coati — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Least ConcernCrab-eating Raccoon
Procyon cancrivorus
Kinkajou
Potos flavus
Least ConcernWhite-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
Guianan Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri sciureus
Common Marmoset
Callithrix jacchus
Least ConcernCollared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about south american coati.
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