Mating system may vary depending on distribution and home range size of females (Booth-Binczik et al. 2004a)
Possibly promiscuous (Gompper et al. 1997)
Paternity research needed on Nasua narica (but see Hirsch and Maldonado 2011, while noting difference in sex segregation/group structure between white-nosed and ring-tailed coatis)
Copulation
Occurs in a tree or on the ground (Booth-Binczik et al. 2004a; Kays 2009b)
Male gives alarm calls (grunts), if approached by other coatis (Hass and Roback 2000)
Females respond to mounting by standing still, lying down on their sides, or walking/running away (Krinsley 1989)
Rebuff unwanted male advances (Booth-Binczik et al. 2004a)
Reproduction
General
Sexual maturity
Females
Physically mature at 22 months (Russell 1982)
Males
Physically mature at about 34 months old (Kays 2009b)
May not successfully breed until 3 or 4 years old due to mate competition
Breed seasonally—only once per year (e.g., Russell 1982; Gompper 1995)
Strong synchrony in timing of mating and birthing across groups
If conditions are poor, most females in a population may not breed
Young born synchronously, with most births occurring within a 2-week period during the wet season (Kaufmann 1962; Russell 1982)
Coincides with greater food and water availability (Smythe 1970; Russell 1982)
May reduce predation risk on newborns or juveniles (Hass and Valenzuela 2002)
Timing of breeding
Mating season
January to April, depending on location (e.g., Kaufmann 1962; Smythe 1970; Russell 1982; Valenzuela 1998)
Birthing season
Arizona: late June (Pratt 1962; Risser 1963; Kaufmann et al. 1976)
Mexico: June to September (Leopold 1959; Valenzuela 1998)
Panama, Costa Rica: April to May (Gompper 1995)
Gestation and Birth
Gestation
Gestation period
About 70 to 77 days (Risser 1963; Gompper 1997; Hass and Roback 2000)
A few days before giving birth, females separate from their groups and give birth solitarily in a tree or rocky den (Kaufmann et al. 1976; Ratnayeke et al. 1994; Gompper 1995)
Females remain away from group for 5 to 6 weeks after giving birth (nesting period), then reform groups (Kaufmann 1962; Russell 1982; Ratnayeke et al. 1994; Hirsch and Gompper 2017)
Unusual among group-living mammals
Birth
Litter size
1 to 7 young (Kaufmann 1962; Risser 1963; B. Hirsch, personal communication, 2021)
Some litters taken by predators (Kays 2009b; B. Hirsch, personal communication, 2021)
Weight at birth
80 to 140 g (2.8 to 4.9 oz) (Kaufmann 1962; Valenzuela 1998; Whiteside 2009)
Up to 180 g (6.3 oz) or more in managed care (Kaufmann 1962)
Length at birth
280 mm (11 in), on average (Mexico) (Valenzuela 1998)
Parental Care
Investment in care
Parental care provided by females (Booth-Binczik et al. 2004a)
Transport
Young rarely carried after nesting season (Russell 1982)
If needed, females carry young in jaws around neck or abdomen (Kaufmann 1962; Newcomer and De Farcy 1985)
Defense
Females drive males and group members away from nests (Kaufmann 1962; Booth-Binczik et al. 2004a)
Females leave young in temporary nest while foraging (Russell 1982)
Nourishment of young
Females nurse young for up to 4 months (Gompper 1995; Kays 2009b)
Russell (1979) suggest some possible degree of cooperative nursing among female group members, but evidence that this commonly occurs is weak
Life Stages
Newborn
1 to 2 weeks old (Kaufmann 1962)
Eyes and auditory canals open
Incisor teeth (milk teeth) erupt from gums
Begin to walk
Can hold tail vertically
4 weeks old (Valenzuela 1998)
Walk
Canine teeth (milk teeth) erupt from gums
End of nesting period (about 4 to 6 weeks old)
Young climb and walk well (Kaufmann 1962)
Sometimes lose footing and fall from trees
Juvenile
About 40 days old
Mother and young rejoin group (Russell 1982)
9 months old
Adult canines erupt through gums (Risser 1963)
About 2 to 2.5 years old
Males become solitary (Gompper 1995)
Typical Life Expectancy
Wild populations
Not reported
Managed care
Median life expectancy
13.5 years (AZA 2023)
Mortality and Health
Survival rates
High levels of mortality in some populations (Hirsch and Gompper 2017)
Groups commonly die out or disband, especially during food shortages (Gompper et al. 1997; Hirsch and Gompper 2017)
Sometimes caused by high mortality among juveniles
Groups at highest predation risk:
Juveniles (Russell 1979; Russell 1982)
Solitary individuals (Hass and Valenzuela 2002)
Females during nesting (Hass and Valenzuela 2002)
Predators
Large cats
Jaguar (Panthera onca) (Valenzuela 1998; Hass and Valenzuela 2002; Avila-Najera et al. 2011)
Puma (Puma concolor) (Hass and Valenzuela 2002; Monroy-Vilchis et al. 2009; Gómez-Ortiz and Monroy-Vilchis 2013)
Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) (Hass and Valenzuela 2002)
Raptors (Risser 1963; Kaufmann et al. 1976)
Snakes (Boa constrictor, Costa Rica) (Sanderson 1941; Janzen 1970)
Black bear (Ursus americanus) (Arizona) (Hass and Valenzuela 2002)
Primates
Capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) prey on coati pups/nestlings (Costa Rica) (Newcomer and De Farcy 1985; Perry and Rose 1994)
Humans (e.g., Kaufmann et al. 1976)
Domestic dogs (Hass and Valenzuela 2002; B. Hirsch, personal communication, 2021)
Bobcats and coyotes suspected to prey on juveniles (Peter Waser, personal communication, 2019)
Accidental death
Coatis killed on roadways by motor vehicles (Kaufmann et al. 1976; Valenzuela 1998)
Some killed in traps set for other animals (Kaufmann et al. 1976)
Diseases (non-comprehensive list)
Rabies (Kaufmann et al. 1976; Aréchiga-Ceballos et al. 2010)
Canine distemper (Risser 1963; Kaufmann et al. 1976)
Tuberculosis (Nóbrega and Reis 1941, as cited by Gompper 1995)
Certain pox viruses (Gallardo-Romero et al. 2016)
Parasites (non-comprehensive list)
Ticks and fleas (Bermúdez C. et al. 2015)
Mites
Cause mange (Valenzuela et al. 2000), including severe scabies infections (Valenzuela 1998)
Various worms (e.g., Neal 1960; Kaufmann 1962; Van Alstine et al. 1974; Santoro et al. 2016)
Protozoans (Lainson 1965; Mehrkens et al. 2013; Martínez-Hernández et al. 2014; Dubey et al. 2017)
Bacterial infections
E. coli (Valenzuela 1998; Valenzuela et al. 2000)
Salmonellosis (Pratt 1962, as cited by Gompper 1995; Risser 1963)
Also see Gompper (1995), and Hirsch and Gompper (2017)
Rite of Passage
At about 5 to 6 weeks old, juvenile and mother coatis return to living in their larger matrilineal groups.
