Pizote

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iPizote

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Procyonidae
Genus:	Nasua
Species:	N. narica

Binomial name

Nasua narica
(Linnaeus, 1766)

The Pizote (Nasua narica), also known as the White-nosed Coati or Antoon, is a member of the raccoon family. It has a long shovel-shaped snout that extends beyond its lower jaw, and a 20-to-25-inch-long erect tail with six or seven light bands on it. It has crushing molars and large canine teeth.

Pizotes inhabit wooded areas (dry forests, rain forests, cloud forests) of the Americas. They are found at any altitude from sea level to 3500 meters (11,500 feet), and from as far north as southeastern Arizona and New Mexico to as far south as Panama.

Pizotes are generally dark brown, reddish, or yellow. Their eyes are masked while their muzzles, chins, and throats are light gray. Their bodies range around 110 to 120 centimeters (43 to 47 inches) long, of which 50 to 65 centimeters (20-26 inches) is tail. They normally weigh between five and nine kilograms (11-20 pounds).

They are omnivores, preferring small vertebrates, fruits, carrion, insects, and eggs. They can climb trees easily, where the tail is used for balance, but they are most often on the ground foraging. Their predators include boas, raptors, hunting cats, and tayras (tolomucos). They readily adapt to human presence; like raccoons, they will raid campsites and trash receptacles. They can be domesticated easily, and have been verified experimentally to be quite intelligent.

They are primarily diurnal, retiring during the night to a specific tree and descending at dawn to begin their daily search for food. However, their habits are adjustable, and in areas where they are hunted by humans for food, or where they raid human settlements for their own food, they become more nocturnal. Adult males are solitary, but females and sexually immature males form social groups. They use many vocal signals to communicate with one another, and also spend time grooming themselves and each other with their teeth and claws.