Have you ever seen a white-nosed coati in person? Guests to Brevard Zoo in Florida make a lot of interesting guesses when trying to identify this species with their ringed tails, distinctive coloring and penchant for sniffing out a snack. Monkeys or raccoons are the more popular guesses —the latter close to the correct answer, as coati are members of the raccoon family.
It may come as a surprise to learn that coati subspecies call areas of Central America, South America and the southwestern U.S. home. Populations of white-nosed coati, along with other subspecies, such as eastern and western mountain coati, are facing decline due in large part to habitat loss from deforestation and development.
“This species once lived throughout areas of Texas and Arizona and has almost been completely extirpated due to human encroachment and hunting, except for a small population in Arizona,” said Brevard Zoo’s Director of Animal Programs Lauren Hinson.
Creating an environment for coatis to thrive
With more and more animals facing declines in their natural range, organizations accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) are looking to help by supporting species in their natural habitat and by maintaining safeguard populations in zoos and aquariums. For the last five years, Brevard Zoo has focused on reestablishing this safeguard population of white-nosed coatis.
After becoming the AZA regional species survival plan coordinator and studbook keeper for white-nosed coati, Hinson faced a stark situation in 2018.
“I quickly realized that I spent all my time updating the studbook with deaths from aging animals and there were no births happening,” Hinson said. “I watched the population dwindle and eventually, during the AZA reimagination process, downgraded to just a studbook since the population was no longer sustainable.”
Increasing the endangered coati population
With the support of Brevard Zoo, Hinson set out to learn more about why breeding had dwindled among the AZA population (around 40 as of 2024) and how to bring in new members for this population.
After taking on her AZA role, Hinson imported animals from Mexico for AZA-accredited zoos. She also placed confiscated animals into AZA-accredited organizations. Following a rigorous vetting process, coati from a private facility were brought to Brevard Zoo to establish a founding breeding group.
Understanding this species’ natural history was also key to this incredible success. In recent history, most zoos housed their coati as a single male-female pair, despite this species living in all female bands of up to 20 members with males only temporarily joining the group for breeding seasons.
Brevard Zoo established new habitats with flexible spaces to give its coati group a more natural group dynamic and allow the members to choose how to spend their days. The animal care team closely monitored the female coati this year, adding male Tito from his habitat to the space occupied by the all-female band once timing was right.
“All of this has been going on throughout the last five years to get to a point where we can have successful reproduction to boost the population,” Hinson said.
In April 2024, Brevard Zoo welcomed eight white-nosed coati kits from two of its younger coati residents, Sky and Rita.
“This was the first successful breeding in a North American AZA zoo in seven years!” Hinson said.
Coati kits at the Brevard Zoo
Even in the early days for the new first-time coati moms and their kits, Brevard Zoo’s animal care team learned so much about this species. Thanks to cameras in the coati’s behind-the-scenes nestboxes, the zoo’s animal care team has gathered information for other AZA-accredited zoos for future coati births.
One surprise — delayed births. Both Sky and Rita initially gave birth to two kits only to give birth to their remaining kits days later. Another surprise: Other coati moms may accept babies who aren’t their own. But the situation has to be monitored as they still might reject the babies after some time.
Soon, the kits will move to other AZA-accredited organizations. The Brevard Zoo looks forward to continuing doing its part in reestablishing a sustainable population of this charismatic animal.
To do your part in protecting this species and other rainforest dwellers, Brevard Zoo recommends:
- Drinking bird-friendly coffee. By doing so, you’re supporting farms that grow coffee in a way that helps migratory birds — and other forest-dwelling animals — live their best lives in healthy habitats!
- Disposing your e-waste, or electronic waste, from old phones, computers, cords and similar products properly. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing types of waste in the world, and when not disposed of properly, it can cause environmental harm. Find a recycling or reusing station near you — your local zoo might be a good place to start!
Coati fun facts
- Coatis are also known as coatimundi. This name means “lone coati” in the native South American language, Guarani. Because male coatis live alone, researchers initially thought they were a different species and called the male coatis coatimundi.
- Female coatis live in groups of 20 or more called bands.
- Their ankles are double-jointed, rotating 180 degrees. This lets coatis climb down trees headfirst.
- Unlike their racoon relatives, coatis are active during the day.
Watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild episode, “Coati Comeback,” to see this adorable species and to experience the Brevard Zoo team’s work firsthand.
