A great article online at treehugger.com has this information about coatimundis: “Though they look like a combination of a lemur, raccoon, monkey (and... piglet?), coatimundis are officially part of the raccoon family, or Procyonidae, along with red pandas and olingos. These furry creatures mainly inhabit parts of South and Central America, but can also be found in Arizona and New Mexico. They hang out in trees, and have brown-colored fur and a long snout that helps them forage for insects and fruit. Their ringed tails give off the more raccoon-ish vibes, but there are plenty of distinctive characteristics that set coatimundis, also called coatis, apart from their black and white cousins.” Read more at treehugger.com/coatimundi-facts-5089327.

1. There are four types of coatimundis

Though it depends on who you ask . . . there appear to be four species of coatimundis: the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica, sometimes referred to as pizote), found from Arizona and New Mexico into  northwest Colombia; the South American coati (Nasua nasua, also known as ringtailed coati), found in north Argentina and Uruguay; the western mountain coati (Nasuella olivacea) found in the Colombian and Ecuadorian Andes; and the eastern mountain coati (Nasuella meridensis), found in the Venezuelan Andes. The main difference is that mountain coatis are significantly smaller, averaging about 19 inches in size compared to Nasua’s 41 inches, and have shorter tails. Some include the Cozumel Island coati and the Wedels coati as separate species, though very little is known about them.

2. Coatis are named for their unique noses

The name coatimundi is believed to come from the Tupian languages indigenous to South America. Their word, kua’ti, is a combination of “cua,” meaning “belt,” and “tim,” meaning “nose,” describing the way the coati sleeps with its nose tucked into its belly. They use these special noses to sniff out grubs like beetles and termites, with the occasional frog, lizard or mouse. Unlike raccoons, who are primarily nocturnal, coatis stay awake during the day. The name “coatimundi” was originally used to describe adult males who live alone (translating into “lone coati”), but it is now used universally.