coati

American  

[koh-ah-tee] / koʊˈɑ ti /

noun

plural

coatis

1. a diurnal omnivore related to the raccoon, having an elongated body, a long, ringed, nonprehensile tail, and a slender, flexible snout: the two genera are Nasua, found in the southwestern U.S. and southward to Uruguay, and Nasuella, the mountain coatis of Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador.

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coati British  

/ kəʊˈɑːtɪ, kəʊˌɑːtɪˈmʌndɪ /

noun

1. any omnivorous mammal of the genera Nasua and Nasuella, of Central and South America: family Procyonidae, order Carnivora (carnivores). They are related to but larger than the raccoons, having a long flexible snout and a brindled coat

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Etymology

Origin of coati

First recorded in 1670–80; from Portuguese, from Tupi, equivalent to cua “belt” + ti, tim “nose”

Example Sentences

The state estimates property damage from such wrecks at nearly $20 million annually, while unbroken roads also fracture habitats for monitored species of concern including the ornate box turtle, white-nosed coati and gila monster.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 23, 2023

Other newcomers include three South American coati — a mother and her two children — resembling raccoons with their long striped tails.

From New York Times • May 26, 2015

The animals were found in small cages in the garage on Wednesday after an animal control officer found a coati wandering in a neighborhood in Warren, Michigan, the zoo said.

From Reuters • Jul. 11, 2014

Hunter Siemel & friends will have a ready market in Chicago for all the jaguars, tapirs, giant armadillos, anteaters, puma, ocelots, coati, large red wolves that they can catch.

From Time Magazine Archive

When domesticated, as it is in Paraguay, the coati is kept in tether, as its climbing habits render it dangerous to ornaments and furniture.

From Natural History in Anecdote Illustrating the nature, habits, manners and customs of animals, birds, fishes, reptiles, etc., etc., etc. by Various