N. nasua Female & Male Skulls replicas are museum quality polyurethane resin castings made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw).
The South American coati (N. nasua), also known as the Hog Nosed Raccoon, is a coati species and a member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae), found in the tropical and subtropical parts of South America.
The N. nasua or South American Coatis have thick grayish red fur on the upper side of their body which gradually lightens to white on their under side. The hair is long and coarse giving their coat a dull look.
The head is narrow with a long snout that ends with an upturned wet black nose that protrudes beyond the lower mandible.The nose is highly mobile which it uses to probe crevices and small holes for food.
There is no postorbital process on the zygomata and the auditory bulla are quite large. The Coati’s dentition is 3/3 1/1 4/4 2/2 = 40. The upper and lower canine teeth in adult males are large and the premolars have two or three roots.
The cheeks and face of N. nasua or South American Coatis are black except for pale patches above and below each eye. The ears of the Coati are small, rounded and white on the inside.
N. nasua have dark brown legs and feet with long claws on the forefeet. The tail is long, tapered, and blackish brown with pale yellow stripes that encircle it.
While foraging on the ground, the tail is usually erect with the tip curled up.
An adult Ring Tailed Coati generally weighs from 4.4 to 15.9 lb. and is 33 to 44 in. long, with half of that being its tail.
South American coati are widespread in tropical and subtropical South America. It occurs in the lowland forests east of the Andes as high as 8,200 ft. from Colombia and The Guianas south to Uruguay and northern Argentina.
Females typically live in large groups, called bands, consisting of 15 to 30 animals. Males are usually solitary.
N. nasua group members can produce soft whining sounds, but alarm calls are different, consisting of loud woofs and clicks. Coatis typically sleep in the trees.
When an alarm call is sounded, they climb trees, and then drop down to the ground and disperse. Predators of the South American coati include foxes, jaguars, jaguarundis, and occasionally humans.
All females in a group come into heat simultaneously when the fruit is in season and mate with several males. The gestation period is 74 to 77 days. The estrus period lasts 1 to 2 weeks. Captive females give birth to 1 to 7 young at a time.
N. nasuas are considered omnivorous because their diet adapts quickly when a food supply comes into high or low supply.
During the mating season when fruit is abundant they are almost solely frugivors feeding on ripe fruits and nuts. They are omnivorous but primarily eat fruit, invertebrates, other small animals, and bird eggs.
They have been seen foraging for food by digging a hole in the ground with their forefeet and tearing apart rotted logs to search for invertebrates.
They also browse through the ground litter in search of lizards, snakes, frogs, and will consume carrion when available. Adult males will even prey on large rodents.
N. nasua or Coatis rarely pose a threat to farmers; they account for a very small percentage of crop damage and chicken losses.
In more urban areas they are also known to rummage through garbage cans when left out. With such a diverse appetite these animals will feed on what is most easily accessed.
