Nosuha. Interesting facts about an amazing animal. (51 photos). Nosuha (coati). A complete description of the animal and its way of life in the wild. What do noses eat in nature?

Taxonomy

Russian name – Nosukha (coati)

Latin name - Nasua nasua

English name - South American coati, ring-tailed coati, Brown-nosed coati

Family – Raccoonidae ( Procyonidae)

Rod – Nosuhi ( Nasua)

These South American raccoons got their name from their elongated nose, which, together with the front part of the upper lip, forms a movable proboscis.

Status of the species in nature

The species is listed in the International Red Book as being of least concern - UICN (LC), as it has a wide range and is common in places with unmodified biotopes. Population densities vary greatly between regions. There are no serious threats, but the species' numbers are likely to decline gradually as a result of hunting by local residents and deforestation, leading to loss of habitat and reduction in range.

Species and man

The local name for Nosukh "Coati" is believed to be derived from the language of the Tupian Indians. Kua means "belt" and Tim- nose, and in general the name reflects the habit of animals to sleep with their nose buried in their stomach. The animals received their Russian and Latin names thanks to their movable, elongated nose.

Residents of places where nosuhs live are sympathetic to sociable animals. True, the habit of visiting chicken coops forces peasants to set traps on them and shoot them.

Distribution and habitats

Nosohus are widespread mainly in South America from Colombia and Venezuela in the north to Uruguay and northern Argentina in the south. They live mainly in tropical forests, bush thickets, semi-deserts, and are found in the foothills and mountain forests of the eastern and western slopes of the Andes, rising to a height of up to 2500 meters above sea level.

Appearance

Compared to other raccoons, noses are quite large animals. Their body length is from 40 to 70 cm. Tail length is from 30 to 70 cm. Height at withers is 30 cm. Body weight is from 3 to 6 kg.

A characteristic feature of the nose is a narrow head with a highly elongated, movable nose. The ears are small and rounded. The tail is long, rather thin, with black and light rings.

The body is covered with reddish-brown fur, although the coloring can be darker or lighter even among cubs in the same litter. The muzzle is dark brown or black. There are light spots around the eyes and on the throat.

The paws are not very high, with long sensitive fingers and long claws, with the help of which the animal not only climbs deftly, but also digs the ground, digging out insect larvae. The hind limbs are longer than the front ones and have movable ankles, which allow the nose to descend from trees upside down. The nose moves on the ground, resting on the palms of its front paws and the feet of its hind legs.

Lifestyle and social behavior

Nosukhi are mainly forest animals that lead a diurnal lifestyle. They are great at climbing trees and jumping from branch to branch. They spend the night in the trees. However, animals also spend quite a lot of time on the ground. They walk rather slowly, sometimes running short distances at a kind of gallop. With their long proboscis, snouts explore the forest floor in search of food.

Nosukhi live in groups of 4-5 to 20 animals. This group includes adult (2 years and older) females and their cubs of both sexes under the age of one year. Groups move a lot and can cover long distances in search of food. Adult males stay solitary and join the group during the mating season. There are complex relationships between the members of the group - the animals clean each other, sometimes devoting an hour or more a day to this activity, search for food together, and work together to drive away enemies.

Family groups each occupy their own territory, which is approximately 1 square kilometer. They mark their territory with urine and the odorous secretion of the anal glands, and if they attempt to invade, they attack an intruder. However, areas of different groups may partially overlap.

Nutrition and feeding behavior

Like many raccoons, noses are omnivores, but they prefer animal food. Their diet includes insects and other arthropods, including millipedes, scorpions and spiders. They look for food by rummaging through the forest floor with their noses and blowing fallen leaves. They also love plant foods, preferring ripe fruits. Less commonly, vertebrate animals - frogs, lizards, and small mammals - can become their prey. They do not disdain noses and carrion.

Vocalization

The sounds made by noses in different situations are very diverse.

Females make barking sounds, warning the group of danger. For their young, they use other sounds that resemble whimpering or whining. In addition, the rich “repertoire” of noses includes sounds similar to bird chirping, grunting, sniffling and snoring.

The animal known as the nosuha is scientifically called a coati (coatimundi or coat). This name comes from the words of the Tupian Indian language - coati, meaning “belt”, and mun, which translates as “nose”. This animal of the raccoon family was nicknamed Nosukha because of its movable, trunk-like nose. Inside it are sensitive receptors responsible for recognizing odors. A huge number of muscles makes this “process” very flexible, because coatis use it to explore natural depressions in search of food.

Types of noses:

1. Nasua nasua (Common nose);
2. Nasua narica (Coati);
3. Nasuella olivacea (Mountain nose);
4. Nasua nelsoni (Nelson's nose).

Finding photos of representatives of each species is not difficult.

It is a subspecies of the common nosewort (Nasua nasua Linnaeus). It is distinguished by a narrow head with a flexible, movable nose directed upward. Small round ears have white rims on the outside. The muzzle is brown or black. There are light spots just above and just below the eyes, as well as behind them. The neck is yellowish. All the features of this cute animal are visible in its photo.

Short and powerful legs have movable ankles. This gives the animal the opportunity to climb down from the tree with either end of its body down. The toes have long claws, and the soles of the paws are bare. The color of the legs is black or dark brown. Such limbs provide advantages when climbing trees and foraging in the soil. The animal's tail is long, two-colored, with yellowish, black or brown rings.

Coatis are good divers and swimmers due to the membranes between their toes. Nosefish are very clean, they rinse their prey, paws and tail in the water, as soon as they find themselves on the shore of a reservoir.

The body of the South American nose is from 73 to 136 cm in length, and the tail is from 32 to 69 centimeters. When moving, it always stays straight, although the upper tip is slightly curved. Shoulder height - 30 centimeters. A coati weighs 4.5 kg, although large six-kilogram individuals can also be found. The entire body of the animal is covered with short, warm and fluffy fur.

Among the enemies of the nose, the most annoying are cats - pumas, jaguars, ocelots. In addition, they are not “friendly” with large birds. Life expectancy in natural conditions - 7–8 years, and in captivity - almost 18.

Lifestyle

Animals are active throughout the day. During the day they look for food, and at night they roost in trees. By the way, their offspring are born there, in the equipped den.

In general, noses feel quite free in trees. There they hide from danger threatening from the ground, and easily jump from branch to branch if the danger is also “high.” But coatis walk slowly, moving at a gallop for short distances. They do this in a very unusual way - first they rest on the palms of their forelimbs, and then roll forward with their hind limbs. Average movement speed - 1 m per second.

The peculiarity of animals is the various vocalizations they make:

• chirping;
• whimpering;
• screams;
• grunt;
• snoring.

Coatis use them to communicate.

The animal's fangs are blade-like, and the molars have sharp tubercles. In total, the animal has 40 teeth in its mouth. Of course, it is unlikely that you will be able to count them in a photo, but the data from animal researchers is worth believing!

Nutrition

Nosuha is an omnivore. Its menu includes:

Nosos are also found in landfills, where they rummage through the remains of garbage. Also may steal chickens from farms.

The nose takes biting insects with its front paws and rolls them on the ground in order to separate the sting. It presses large prey to the surface with its paws and kills it with a bite to the neck.

Way of life

The way of life of animals differs depending on gender. Females live in groups of 4 to 20 individuals. Composition: several mature females with cubs. Groups are highly mobile, traveling vast distances in search of food. Behavioral relationships in a group are complex. They are vaguely reminiscent of primate communication. For example, clan members groom each other, care for cubs together, and ward off enemies. There are many touching photos of animals caring for each other.

Each family group lives on his own territory. Its diameter is usually 1 square kilometer. Nosos in such groups are less susceptible to danger than individuals. To warn about her, the female uses barking sounds. They mark their territory with a fatty secretion secreted by the anal glands and urine. When invaded by a stranger, the coati will fight using its claws and fangs.

The anal glands have a special structure. This is a glandular area running along the upper edge of the anus, which contains a series of bursae that open with four or five incisions on the sides.

In hot weather, noses prefer shade. When it subsides, they go hunting. In this case, the nose can travel up to 2 km. Young people spend their time playing games. At night, animals climb to the tops of trees, hiding from most predators.

Reproduction

The males have a solitary lifestyle. They join groups of females with young animals only for the mating season. It continues from October to March. Males actively fight for females. The teeth are shown to the opponent and a threatening position is taken - rising on the hind legs with the end of the muzzle raised up. Only the strongest remain in the group. All mature females mate with him, after which he leaves her. Towards the ripening of the fruits, when food is most plentiful, comes the period of raising the young.

Pregnancy lasts 74–77 days, after which 3 to 7 babies are born. At this time, the female leaves the group. She sets up a nest in a hollow, where the offspring will remain until they are able to walk and climb trees.

Newborns have no fur, no vision, and they weigh from 70 to 85 grams. The eyes open only by the 10th day of life. At 24 days young noses are able to walk and focus their gaze, and at 26 days they can climb trees. At 4 months they begin to eat thick food. The female and cubs return to the group when they are 5–6 weeks old. To keep the young close to her during the weaning period, she “whines.” This finally occurs by 4 months. Until this moment, the nose is being nursed by the younger generation. Females are considered sexually mature by the age of 2, and males by the age of 3. You can find a photo of a newborn animal on the Internet.

You can “get acquainted” with the South American nose in the South American tropics - from Colombia and Venezuela to Uruguay, Ecuador and northern Argentina. The mountainous one lives on the eastern and southern slopes of the Andes, however, up to an altitude of 2500 meters.

Nosuh clan membership and social behavior

What qualities must individuals have to be accepted into the clan? It is worth noting that it is not always formed based on family ties. True, “outside” representatives of the group more often than others suffer from the aggression of its other members. They are pushed to the outskirts of the group’s territory, where it is easiest to end up in the clutches of a predator. However, it is more profitable for noses to remain in a group and receive advantages than to be alone.

Dispersal occurs unusually: females rarely leave the group in which they were born. Males do this in the third year of life, however, they remain on the territory of the clan. They almost do not protect their habitat, with the exception of places rich in food. The territories of groups of females and cubs, as well as mature males, can overlap by 66%, with only the core being used only by the main group.

Conservation in nature

Although most coati species are not endangered, there are reasons for concern. Nelson's Nosuchus, which lives on the island of Cozumel in Mexico, due to the development of industry and tourism threatened with extinction, and mountain noses are very sensitive to deforestation and human use of land.

These animals are protected by the CONVENTION Annex Sites III in Uruguay. The main dangers for them are hunting and human penetration into their habitats. To date, 10 subspecies of Nasua nasua have been recognized and described.

Animal nosuha

Nosuha, or coati, are representatives of a genus of small-sized mammals belonging to the raccoon family. The predator has become widespread throughout both American continents. The animals owe their Spanish, French and English name “coati” to one of the local Indian languages.

Description of nose

Nosukhi received their unusual and very original name due to the small and rather mobile proboscis formed by the elongated nose and the frontal part of the animal’s upper lip. The average body length of an adult animal varies between 41-67 cm, with a tail length of 32-69 cm. The maximum weight of a mature individual, as a rule, does not exceed 10-11 kg.

The anal glands of the nose are distinguished by a special structure, unique among representatives of Carnivora. A peculiar glandular area located along the upper part of the anus contains a series of so-called bursae, which open with four or even five special slits on the sides. The fatty secretion secreted by such glands is actively used by animals to mark their territory.

Appearance

The most common South American nose is characterized by a narrow head with an elongated and noticeably directed upward, incredibly flexible and movable nose. The ears of the predatory mammal are small, round in shape, and have white rims on the inside. The neck is a soft yellowish color. The muzzle area of ​​such an animal, as a rule, has a uniform color of brown or black. Lighter, paler spots are located above and below, slightly behind the eyes. The fangs are blade-like, and the molars have sharp cusps.

This is interesting! Russian anthropologist Stanislav Drobyshevsky called noses "ideal candidates for intelligence", which is due to their arboreal lifestyle, as well as sociality and well-developed limbs.

The legs of the nose are short and quite powerful, with very mobile and well-developed ankles. Thanks to this feature, the predator is able to climb down from trees not only with the front, but also with the rear end of its body. The claws located on the fingers are long. The feet have bare soles.

It is the strong clawed paws that allow the noses to easily climb various trees. In addition, the limbs are quite successfully used by the predator to search for food in the soil or forest floor. As a rule, the legs of the nose are dark brown or black in color.

The animal's body area is covered with relatively short, thick and rather fluffy fur. South American noses are characterized by wide variability in color, which manifests itself not only within the habitat or distribution area, but even among cubs belonging to the same litter. Most often, the body color varies from slightly orange or reddish shades to dark brown. The tail of the nose is long and two-colored, with the presence of fairly light yellowish rings, alternating with brown or black rings. In some individuals, the rings in the tail area are faintly visible.

Lifestyle, behavior

Nosukhi are animals that are active only during daylight hours. For sleeping and resting, the predator chooses the largest branches of trees, where coatis feel safe.

A rather cautious animal descends to the ground in the early morning hours, even before dawn. During the morning toilet, the fur and muzzle are thoroughly cleaned, after which the nose goes hunting.

This is interesting! An interesting fact is that noses are animals that, to communicate with each other, use a rich set of all kinds of sounds, developed facial expressions and special signaling poses.

Females and their offspring prefer to stay in groups, the total number of which is two dozen individuals. Adult males most often lead a solitary lifestyle, but the bravest of them often try to join a group of females and are met with rebuff. At the same time, females warn their group about any approaching danger with fairly loud, characteristic barking sounds.

How long do noses live?

The average lifespan of a predatory mammal is no more than twelve years, but there are also individuals that live up to the age of seventeen years.

Sexual dimorphism

Females become sexually mature by the age of two years, and males begin breeding after reaching the age of three years. Adult males are almost twice as large as mature females.

Types of nose

The genus Nosuchus includes three main species and one that is found exclusively in the Andean valleys in the northwestern part of South America. This species is currently classified in a separate genus, Nasuella. The mountain nose belongs to a separate genus, the representatives of which are distinguished by a very characteristic shortened tail, as well as the presence of a small head, which is more compressed from the sides. Such animals are quite easily tamed by humans, so they can be kept as exotic pets.

This is interesting! Each of the groups of noses in their natural habitat is assigned a certain territory, the diameter of which is about one kilometer, but such “allotments” often overlap slightly.

The common nosoha (Nasua nasua) is represented by thirteen subspecies. This predatory mammal lives at an altitude of up to two thousand meters above sea level and is larger in size. The adult common nose is characterized by a light brown color.

Nelson's nose is a representative of the genus with the darkest color and the presence of a white spot in the neck area. The coloration of an adult animal is characterized by a similarity of noticeable gray hair on the shoulders and forelimbs. The Coati species is characterized by the presence of white “rims” on its ears. There are also light-colored spots in the area around the eyes, giving them a vertically elongated appearance. There is a yellowish spot on the neck of representatives of the species.

Range, habitats

Nosefish live in North and South America, as well as on nearby islands. The mountain nosoha inhabits the Andes, which, by their territorial affiliation, belong to Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia.

Representatives of a fairly numerous species of coati are found in South America and are therefore known as the South American species. The main populations of such a predatory mammal are concentrated mainly in Argentina.

This is interesting! As observational practice shows, representatives of raccoons most of all like to settle in coniferous forests belonging to the temperate climatic zone.

Nelson's nose is an inhabitant exclusively of the island of Cozumel, located in the Caribbean Sea and belonging to the territory of Mexico. Representatives of the common species are common animals in North America. According to scientists, noses have a different attitude than many other animals to the rich diversity of climatic zones. For example, coatis have perfectly adapted to even the driest pampas, as well as to humid tropical forest areas.

Diet of nose

Small mammals belonging to the raccoon family obtain food using their extremely mobile and long nose, which moves. In the process of such movement, air currents actively escape through noticeably flared nostrils, due to which foliage scatters and various insects become visible.

The standard diet of small carnivorous mammals includes:

• termites;
• ants;
• spiders;
• scorpions;
• all kinds of beetles;
• insect larvae;
• lizards;
• frogs;
• rodents that are not too large in size.

This is interesting! Nose bats usually search for food in whole groups, always notifying all participants in the search about the discovery of food with a fairly high vertical tail and a very characteristic vocal whistle.

Sometimes adult coatis hunt land crabs. The noses habitually and very deftly clamp any of their prey between their front paws, after which the victim’s neck or head is bitten through with fairly sharp teeth. In the absence of food of animal origin, noses are quite capable of satisfying the need for food with fruits, carrion, as well as various refuse from garbage dumps and the human table.

Nosukhi, or coati(coatimundi or coat) got their name for their elongated, very sensitive and mobile snout-nose. Coatimundi translated from the Tupian Indian language means: “coati” - “belt”, and “mun” - “nose”. These small mammals belong to the raccoon family.

There are three species in the genus Nosukh:

• Coati ( Nasua narica )
• Ordinary nose ( Nasua nasua)
• Nelson's Nose ( Nasua nelsoni )

Another species, mountain nose ( Nasuella olivacea), found only in the Andean valleys of northwestern South America, is listed in a separate genus Nasuella.

Nosukhi are found in the New World from the southern United States to Argentina. They are not very picky about their habitat; they are found both in tropical forests and on the edge of deserts, but most often live in forests.

The characteristic features of the nose are: an elongated and mobile nose; short, almost completely hidden ears; short hair and a long fluffy tail, which the noses are usually held vertically; alternating light yellow, brown and black rings in the color of the tail.

The coati's color ranges from orange to dark brown. The muzzle is usually a uniform black or brown color. There are light spots on the face, below and above the eyes. Paws are black or dark brown.

Height at the withers is 20-29 cm. The weight of the nose is on average 3-5 kg. Males are almost twice as large as females. The length of the body is 80-130 cm, almost half of it is the tail: the length of the body is 41-67 cm, the tail is 32-69 cm. The tail of this length serves as a “coati” as a good balancer when moving through the trees, and the poison dart frog is a virtuoso. This ability helps them protect themselves and their offspring from most predators at night, hiding in the treetops.

Nosukhi live on average 7-8 years, but in captivity they can live up to 14 years.

The enemies of the nose are hawks and eagles, the main enemy is man. During the day, coatis hunt mainly on the ground. If you carefully observe the nose, you will notice that it moves, resting on the palms of its front paws and the feet of its hind legs - like a man and a bear, i.e. Nosuha is a plantigrade animal.

While feeding, it rummages through the litter with its mobile nose, snoring loudly and blowing up the leaves, looking for beetles, spiders, scorpions, ants, termites, various larvae, centipedes and even land crabs. They sometimes encounter small vertebrates such as rodents, lizards and frogs. When hunting them, the nose presses them to the ground with its paw and then kills them with a bite to the head. But when there is abundant plant food (especially ripe fruits), the noses feed on them with visible pleasure. It is not uncommon for them to return to the fruiting tree over a long period of time.

Nosukhi usually live in groups of 5-6 and even up to 40 individuals. But, as a rule, the majority of the “team” are females. Sexually mature coati males prefer a solitary lifestyle and join the group only during the breeding season (January - March).
During the mating season, males gather near the group. Only one strongest male is accepted into the group. Females mate only with the male who wins the fight for the female.

Soon after the mating period is over, the male is expelled from the group because he is often aggressive towards the babies. The female's pregnancy lasts about 75 days. In advance, before giving birth, the pregnant female leaves the group and is busy arranging a den for the future offspring. The offspring of the nose bears once a year from 3 to 6 pieces. The cubs weigh 100-200 grams. The cubs remain in the nest for some time, and then, together with their mother, join the group. Caring for the young rests entirely with the female; the male does not take part in this.

It is noteworthy that the nose has well-developed not only maternal instincts, but also vocal abilities. This animal can make a variety of sounds: snoring, grunting, screaming, whimpering and chirping. This is how the coatis communicate with each other. To warn the group of danger, females make barking sounds. And in order to keep the cubs near her, the female uses whimpering sounds.

Currently, nosoha is listed in the International Red Book as a species not endangered. The Honduran government has included it in the CITES Annex, which places restrictions on international trade in these animals.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Class: Mammals
Squad: Predatory
Family: Raccoon
Genus: Nosukhi

The word "nosuha" (coatimundi or coat) comes from the Tupian Indian language: "coati" means "belt", "mun" means "nose". The animals belong to the raccoon family.

Nosukhi got their name due to their movable trunk-shaped nose. Their head is narrow, their hair is short, their ears are round and small. There is a white rim on the edge of the inside of the ears. Nosukha is the owner of a very long tail, which is almost always in a vertical position. The animal uses its tail to balance itself when moving. The characteristic color of the tail is alternating light yellow, brown and black rings.

Coloring nose varied: from orange to dark brown. The muzzle is usually a uniform black or brown color. There are light spots on the face, below and above the eyes. The neck is yellowish, the paws are black or dark brown.

flickr/tenia2008

The body is elongated, the paws are strong with five fingers and non-retractable claws. The nose digs the ground with its claws, obtaining food. The hind legs are longer than the front legs. The length of the body from the nose to the tip of the tail is 80-130 cm, the length of the tail itself is 32-69 cm. The height at the withers is about 20-29 cm. They weigh about 3-5 kg. In such animals, the male is twice as large as the female.

live noses on average 7-8 years, but in captivity they can live up to 14 years. They live in tropical and subtropical forests of South America and the southern United States. Their favorite place is dense bushes, low-lying forests, and rocky terrain. Due to human intervention, lately nosos prefer forest edges and clearings.

flickr/PaPeR.cLiP

They spend most of their time foraging for food. Nosukhi are omnivores. Their diet includes fruits, insect larvae, eggs, scorpions, spiders, termites, and ants. Sometimes they are not averse to eating lizards and rodents.

Nosuhs live both in groups and alone. In groups there are 5-6 individuals, sometimes their number reaches 40. In groups there are only females and young males. Adult males live alone. The reason for this is their aggressive attitude towards children. They are expelled from the group and return only to mate.

flickr/Martyn F65

From January to March the mating period begins. During the mating season, males gather near the group. Only one male is accepted per group. That's why they fight among themselves. The strongest wins. Females mate only with the chosen male. After mating, the male is kicked out.

Pregnancy lasts 77 days. Towards the end of pregnancy, the female begins to build a nest for her offspring. Usually it is located in hollows, between stones, in earthen holes. The offspring of Nosuha bring 2-6 pieces once a year.

The cubs weigh 100-200 grams. The cubs remain in the nest for some time, and then, together with their mother, join the group. Only females care for the babies. Young males remain in the group until the age of two, and upon reaching it they are expelled.

To warn the group of danger, females make barking sounds. And in order to keep the cubs near her, the female uses whimpering sounds.

The enemies of noses are predators such as jaguars, boa constrictors, as well as birds of prey. But the most important enemy is the person who hunts them. Sometimes nosoha causes harm to poultry farming and field crops, penetrating farms. The animals are quite curious creatures and have an excellent appetite.