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prettygoodwordcoati (koh-AH-tee) or coatimundi (koh-ah-tee-MUN-dee) - n., any of four diurnal American omnivores (genera Nasua and Nasuella) with elongated body, a long ringed nonprehensile tail, and a slender flexible snout.
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These are the next closest relatives of raccoons. The white-nosed coati (Nasua narica, shown above) ranges from the southwestern United States to northern South America, while the other three are strictly South American. Cute guys, and I've seen them several times shuffling through campgrounds in the mountains of southern Arizona.* As the picture suggests, they are social, and holding their tails up lets other members of the troupe know where they are in tall grasses. The name comes (via Portuguese) from a Tupí language of Brazil, possibly Nheengatu of the Rio Negro valley, from Old Tupí kua'ti, from cua, belt + tim, nose -- the mundi part of the longer name comes from Tupí mundé, animal trap ... so, yeah no, I'm no longer using the longer name, like, ever.
---L.
* Short shameful confession: one hit my car as I was driving -- the side door, as it tried to cross the road. It scuttled away, apparently not heavily injured, but the kindergartner in the back seat was Not Happy about this. Nor was I.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
These are the next closest relatives of raccoons. The white-nosed coati (Nasua narica, shown above) ranges from the southwestern United States to northern South America, while the other three are strictly South American. Cute guys, and I've seen them several times shuffling through campgrounds in the mountains of southern Arizona.* As the picture suggests, they are social, and holding their tails up lets other members of the troupe know where they are in tall grasses. The name comes (via Portuguese) from a Tupí language of Brazil, possibly Nheengatu of the Rio Negro valley, from Old Tupí kua'ti, from cua, belt + tim, nose -- the mundi part of the longer name comes from Tupí mundé, animal trap ... so, yeah no, I'm no longer using the longer name, like, ever.
---L.
* Short shameful confession: one hit my car as I was driving -- the side door, as it tried to cross the road. It scuttled away, apparently not heavily injured, but the kindergartner in the back seat was Not Happy about this. Nor was I.
