Coatimundi Plush Toys and gifts
These fine Coatimundi stuffed animals are available at Jeannie's Cottage online gift shop. They include the Hansa Coati and the Animal Den Coati.
Check our sponsor's online Gift Shop to see if there are any Coatis there.
The Coati, Nasua, is common in Mexico and south to Paraguay and can be found at times in New Mexico and southern Arizona. This little mammal is a member of the raccoon family and looks a little like one, although its snout is longer and flexible and the tail not as full, but still has some rings. The latin word Nasua means nose. It likes to sleep away the hot midday hours all curled up, its snout snug against its belly, in the shade of the forest trees.
This little animal's fur can be red, brown, grey or yellow. On the chin and throat, the fur fades to white. A mask of light brown proclaims the coati's membership in the robber band of the raccoons.
Another mark of kinship to the raccoon is the coati's long tail: it is striped with indistinct brown rings and is thinly furred. When the coati struts through the woodland, it carries the tail proudly behind it, pointing upward in a sharp curve. The larger species of coati may reach two feet in length, and the tail is almost as long. We find coatis that weigh as much as 20 pounds, but the run-of-the-woods member of the group is more likely to average 10.
Not so exclusively a night worker as the raccoon, the coati picks its hunting hours for comfort. It likes morning and early evening best; the remaining hours it will laze away or sleep through.
This little mammal is fond of companionship and often travels in bands numbering from 5 to a dozen or more. The male coati is a solitary animal and joins up with the females to mate. The troop moves along nosing into every nook and corner looking for some insect or reptile. They also like fruit. As omnivores, they also like mice, rats, birds, birds' eggs, worms and seeds.
The coati breeding season occurs at different times of the year, depending on the region, and food availability. The female coati leaves the band of coatis and builds a nest in the trees or on a rocky ledge, where she gives birth to between 2 and 7 coati babies. The gestation is about 77 days. The mother coati and her babies rejoin the band of coatis when the babies are about 6 weeks old.
The coati is a staunch fighter, for it is well armed; it has long fangs with razor-sharp edges capable of inflicting fearful slashing cuts. It has numerous predators including the jaguar, puma, some birds, snakes and crocodiles.
In the wild, coatis live for about seven years, while in captivity they can live for up to 15 years.
