This week, I’m reporting from the island of Cozumel in Mexico, after a long and enforced absence thanks to the COVID pandemic. The island has grown visibly lusher over the past three years, despite a glancing blow from a hurricane that eroded much of the beach area on the island’s southwest shore. As I mentioned a few years back, Cozumel and the Yucatan in general are terrific places for birding, and in the next couple of weeks we’ll get to know some of the avian residents. But this week, I’ve made some new friends called coatis and I decided to learn more about them.
Coatis, also known as coatimundis, are widespread from the American southwest down through South America. They are in the same family as raccoons, which they slightly resemble with their masked faces and ringed tails. They have very long snouts that they use to root through ground litter and break apart fruit. My first encounter with them about 15 years ago was on the Mexican mainland, where I was accosted by a large family of them while I was carrying two large cups of coffee. I seriously thought they were lemurs at first. The coatis were completely unintimidated by me, and I can’t say I felt the same: The whole band could have probably taken me if they wanted to, especially as I had both hands full. But once they realized I had nothing edible to offer them, they wandered off to find another human sucker willing to give them a handout.
Coatis are part of the same family — only found in the Americas — as raccoons and kinkajous, and unlike these other species they’re highly social. If you see one, there are probably several more in the vicinity as they rove around in bands that may spring from the undergrowth at any moment. These bands are made up of females and juvenile males; once the males reach maturity around 2-3 years of age, they set out on their own. They only rejoin the group to mate, so if you see a large solitary coati, it’s most likely one of those adult male introverts. Female coatis will stand up for their friends in confrontations and they seem to keep close track of who their friends and enemies are within the group. The ones I’ve seen seem to all get along well without much conflict. Being well-fed always keeps tempers down.
Like raccoons, coatis have highly adapted paws that allow them to climb and maneuver around with surprising agility. The other morning I was in the dining area before it opened in search of coffee, and I watched a coati run out of the kitchen. I yelled at it and it immediately grabbed the front doors with both paws, yanked them apart, and ran out. You can see why the hotel staff considers them to be pests, as there’s not much you can do about critters who can get your doors open. Like a lot of omnivorous animals, they are excellent problem solvers. Our resort has a guy who roams around with a hunting dog — a pointer — to discourage coatis from being around the buildings. I’m not really sure this is working but it’s a very nice dog.
Coatis are reportedly diurnal, although I’ve seen them out well after dusk and before dawn as well. They eat a lot of fruit and invertebrates, and can adapt to a lot of different habitats: there’s even a breeding group in Cumbria, U.K., that most likely escaped captivity. They’re divided into four species, two of which are threatened or endangered (the Cozumel subspecies is part of the white-nosed species). Despite the success of the crew around my resort, and their adaptability, all coati species are currently in decline. There isn’t much restriction on hunting them in the countries where they reside, and habitat loss in South America is a big concern. We’re not supposed to feed them here; while I know I shouldn’t encourage them to associate humans with food, I admit I’ve left fruit out on our patio to watch them snout through it. I don’t really want them in the kitchen where my food is prepared, but I’m enjoying their companionship elsewhere.
Morris, a bird-watcher and outdoorswoman who explores northern Wisconsin from her home base in the Ashland County town of Gingles, may be reached at morrisoutside@gmail.com.
