In today’s gif, we have a small band of coatis scrounging around in the leaf litter. The babies are called kits or kittens. They are certainly as cute as any feline kitten!
Coatis do their foraging during the day, using their strong snout-like noses to locate and roost for prey, digging out their prizes with clawed, nimble paws. This may very well be a mom coati with her kits, but as female coatis and their young form matriarchal bands, the older coati might also be a babysitter who is watching the youngsters while mom is off foraging on her own. When they are foraging and relaxed, coatis of all ages put their impressively long tails in the air, aiding group members in finding one another.
Coatis are members of the Procyonidae family, which includes raccoons, ringtails and other small omnivores that can be found in the Americas. Procyonids are in the order of Carnivora, but because of their omnivorous diet, they have lost some of the adaptations for flesh-eating found in their carnivorous relatives. Significantly, they have carnassial teeth (meat-shearing molars), but the teeth are poorly developed in the majority of procyonid species. Genetic studies have shown that procyonids split from carnivores about 22.6 million years ago, an offshoot of canids that adapted a more omnivorous diet.
Brush up on some other coati fun facts by clicking on this article:
The coati in today’s gif are, I believe, white-nosed coati. This is a species found throughout much of Central America and even as far north as parts of the United States—Arizona, New Mexico and occasionally seen in Texas. There’s also a population of wild white-nosed coati in Florida, likely descended from animals that escaped captivity.
The source for today’s gif is here.
Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute: White-nosed coati
Ah yes, I remember the coatis. Lovely animals with the usual "too adorable for words" babbys. Looks like this forest hasn't been raked recently but I'm sure the coatis will take of that, right? Thanks, Martini!
The kits are adorable. Mum isn't so bad either 💓🤗🤭