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Treasures of the Tropical Rainforest |
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Coatimundi |
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The white-nosed coati is found from Texas down to the west coasts of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The South American coati has a brown muzzle and is found east of the Andes in the Amazon rainforest down to Argentina and Uraguay. |
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The Coati is raccoon-like but is more slender and has a longer snout than a raccoon. A medium sized animal, the coati stands about 12 inches at the shoulders and has an overall body length of up to 48 inches. It can weigh from 10 to 25 pounds. Males are almost twice as large as females. The Coati has small ears, dark feet and a long, thin tail (as much as 2 feet long) with 6 or 7 dark bands. |
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The Common name is Coatimundi or coati but it is also known as Quash. Coatimundis are nosy, busy little creatures with an insatiable appetite. The Coati is gregarious and noisy as it travels about in groups of from 6 to 24, holding its tail almost erect and chattering with others. |
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Coatis are diurnal, living both on the ground and in the trees, spending most of the day foraging for food. It feeds on fruits, insects, lizards, roots, fruits, nuts and eggs. They feed by using their long noses, poking them under rocks and into crevices, and using their long claws to dig holes or tear apart rotting logs. |
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Coatis mate in early spring and deliver a litter of 4 to 6 young after a gestation period of about 11 weeks. The female educates and feeds the young from the den site, usually a rocky niche in a wooded canyon. |
Their muzzle is long and upturned at the snout, being flexable and well adapted for investigating crevices and holes. |
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Coatimundi |
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