What is a coati?
A. It is an omnivorous mammal of the genus Nasua, a close relative to the raccoon and panda. It has a larger body and tail than the raccoon, and a long, flexible snout. It is found mainly in Latin America, but has been spreading into the southwestern U.S. for some time, aided by generally favorable ecological conditions, the ability of coati tribes to restrain most of their predators, and the North American Free Trade Agreement. We can look forward to the day, perhaps in the next millennium, when coati tribes will have migrated all the way north to Canada and there gain the skills needed to themselves become guest or even permanent anchors of World News Now. And on that hopeful thought, we come to the end of the WNN FAQ and, of course, Barry Mitchell.
The coati is a relative of the raccoon, found mostly in Mexico, Central and South America. However, coatis are now frequently sighted in Texas and Arizona as well, having at some point crossed the border of Mexico. Since coatis are good at finding food, their introduction to the US may ultimately lead to coati populations throughout the US where climates are temperate. There are several species of coati: the ring-tailed, the white-nosed, and the island coati. An animal called the dwarf Mountain Coati derives from a different genus than the genus Nasua, which the three species of coati belong to. The physical differences between the three recognized species of coati are not significant. Differences include lighter or darker coats, and marking on the tail and face. The white-nosed coati has the characteristic elongated black nose, but its muzzle is white, hence the term. Most often, US immigrant coatis are of the white nosed variety, which tends to most resemble the raccoon. Its coat is
