White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics

Body measurements

*Note: Males weigh, on average, 1/3 more than females. (Gompper 1996).

Data sources:
Total length, tail length: Gompper (1995)
Weight: Leopold (1959), Risser (1963), Kays (2009a)

Body

• Shoulders muscular (Krinsley 1989; Kays 2009a)
• Capable climbers and diggers
• Push rocks aside easily

Head and mouth

• Long snout, tapered and flexible (Goodwin 1934; Leopold 1959; Gompper 1995)
• Extends past lower lip
• Use to investigate loose dirt and leaf litter while foraging (Krinsley 1989)
• Ears short and round (Goodwin 1934; Leopold 1959; Gompper 1995)
• Tongue long and narrow (Gompper 1995)

Feet and claws

• Front claws long and slightly curved (Goodwin 1934; Leopold 1959)
• Used to dig, shred bark, tear open fruits, hold down larger prey (McClearn 1992a)
• Able to grasp objects but little fine motor control (unlike forepaw digits of raccoons) (McClearn 1992a)
• Hind claws shorter and hooked (Leopold 1959)

Tail

• Long and slender (Kaufmann 1983; Krinsley 1989; Gompper 1995)
• Equal in length to head and body
• Often held vertically or at 45° downward angle while foraging
• Used mainly for balance (Gompper 1995)
• Not prehensile, though provides some grip of trees during steep descents

Coloration

• Wide color variation across range (Gompper 1995)
• Coat camouflages with shady forest habitat (Hass and Valenzuela 2002)
• Body typically light buff to reddish to dark brown, with yellow or silver hues (Goodwin 1934; Risser 1963; Kaufmann et al. 1976; Kaufmann 1983; Gompper 1995)
• Neck and shoulders yellow to white
• Muzzle, chin, and throat whitish
• Eyes bordered by light-colored eye rings
• Underparts yellowish to dark brown
• Feet blackish
• Muzzle has white patch (Goodwin 1934; Gompper 1995)
• Distinguishes white-nosed coati from other coati species
• Newborns (Kaufmann 1962)
• Darker in color than adults
• Rings on tail more distinct

Weight

• Males about 30% heavier than females (Risser 1963; Gompper 1996; Valenzuela 1998; McColgin et al. 2018)

Smell

• Primary sense used in leaf-litter foraging (Kaufmann 1962)
• Also see “Smell and scent marking”

The white-nosed coati has a distinctive long, tapered, flexible snout.

Coatis use their nose to sniff through leaf litter for fallen fruits and invertebrates.

Image credit: © Thomas Milne / Flickr. Some rights reserved; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.