The White-nosed Coati is a relative of the raccoon whose range extends from southern Arizona and New Mexico through Central America. Coatis are predominantly diurnal, and (except for older males) operate in social troops. The troop I've spent some time with in the Chiricahuas of Arizona has about 25-30 individuals.

When they feel relatively secure, their faces are generally buried under the leaf litter, using their pig-like noses to sniff out food. While doing so, their magnificent tails point straight to the sky, allowing individuals to keep track of each other in the tall grass. As they forage, they give a series of grunts to communicate, and the big ones will occasionally bare their teeth if another gets too close to a good stash.

When they sense danger (e.g., when the photographer rattles the leaves a bit when stretching out a leg cramp induced by spending too much time in an awkward position...), they quickly take to the trees; those big bear-like claws come in handy for that. Fun fact: They can turn their wrists 180 degrees, which allows them to climb down trees head-first as easily as they climb up. Their tails are not prehensile, but offer great balance, and there is a lot of muscle functionality in it that allows them to communicate with each other by tail positioning (like a cat). May 2023.