Coatis owe their name to their flexible, trunk-like snout. Unlike the South American coatis (Nasua nasua), the white-nosed coati has a whitish snout.
The white-nosed coati inhabits a wide variety of forested habitats in Central America and parts of North and South America. It is an opportunistic omnivore, whose diet consists mainly of insects and fruit. In addition, it preys on small vertebrates such as lizards, rodents and, occasionally, birds, which it kills with a targeted bite to the head. It also feeds on carrion and food sources of human origin.
The coati finds most of its diet on the ground, which it systematically searches using its elongated snout. This takes up a considerable proportion of its daily activity time. In doing so, it can cover up to 2,000 metres.
Unlike most small bears, white-nosed coati are diurnal. They spend their nights in trees, as white-nosed coati are exceptionally skilful climbers. They are able to climb down tree trunks headfirst, turning their hind feet outwards and using them to grip the trunk. They use their tail to help maintain their balance. When moving about on the ground, they hold their tail straight up.
Adult males generally live solitary lives, whilst females form stable social groups together with their juveniles. These groups typically comprise around twelve, but can also number more than thirty individuals. Within the groups, communication takes place both acoustically – including through chirping sounds – and via olfactory signals.
During the mating season, the otherwise solitary males deliberately seek out groups of females. When a male approaches a group of females, he submits to them by grooming them and displaying other submissive behaviour. He then mates with all the females and is subsequently driven away again.
Shortly before giving birth, pregnant females temporarily withdraw from their groups to give birth to between one and seven juveniles in a nest they have built themselves in a tree. The mother nurses the juveniles for several months. They develop rapidly. After just a few weeks, they leave the nest and begin to climb.
The white-nosed coati is of economic importance across much of its range and is hunted for its meat and fur. In the United States, the population is also near threatened due to genetic isolation, which could lead to local extinction in the long term.
There, the species is also repeatedly caught as by-catch in traps set for other animal species, is mistakenly killed by hunters, or is affected by predator control measures; a historical example is its disappearance from the Burro Mountains in New Mexico in connection with poison campaigns against coyotes. In addition, the white-nosed coati is susceptible to diseases such as canine distemper, a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease, as well as rabies.
Despite local population declines caused by intensive hunting on the one hand and habitat loss on the other, the white-nosed coati is not currently classified as vulnerable at a global level, owing to its wide range, its ecological adaptability and its presence in numerous protected areas.
