Cozumel coati explained

The Cozumel coati (Nasua narica nelsoni), or Cozumel Island coati, is a coati from the Mexican island of Cozumel, in the Caribbean Sea. It is in the family Procyonidae, which also includes raccoons, olingos, and kinkajous.

Taxonomy

It has been treated as a species, but the vast majority of recent authorities treat it as a subspecies of the white-nosed coati.^{[1] [2] [3]} Cozumel Island coatis are slightly smaller than the white-nosed coatis of the adjacent mainland (N. n. yucatanica); but, when compared more widely to white-nosed coatis, the difference in size is not as clear.^[4] The level of other differences also support its status as a subspecies rather than a separate species.^[4]

It has been speculated that it is the result of an ancient introduction to Cozumel by the Mayans.^[5] Although not rated by the IUCN (where included in the widespread white-nosed coati),^[3] it is believed that the Cozumel Island coati is highly threatened and close to extinction.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Kays, R. (2009). White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica), pp. 527-528 in: Wilson, D. E., and R. A. Mittermeier, eds. (2009). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1, Carnivores.
2. Book: Reid . Fiona A. . 1997 . A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico . 259–260 . 0-19-506400-3 . 34633350.
3. Cuarón, A.D. . Helgen, K. . Reid, F. . Pino, J. . González-Maya, J.F. . 2016 . Nasua narica . 2016 . e.T41683A45216060 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41683A45216060.en . 11 November 2021.
4. Decker, D. M. (1991). Systematics Of The Coatis, Genus Nasua (Mammalia, Procyonidae) . Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 104: 370-386
5. Nowak, R., eds. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol. 1, p. 700. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press University Press.
6. McFadden . K. W. . García-Vasco. D. . Cuarón, A. D. . Valenzuela-Galván, D. . Medellín, R. A. . Gompper, M. E. . Vulnerable island carnivores: the endangered endemic dwarf procyonids from Cozumel Island . Biodiversity and Conservation . 19 . 2 . 491–502 . 2009-08-15 . 10.1007/s10531-009-9701-8 . 2012-05-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100625052510/http://www.columbia.edu/~kwm6/files/McFadden_et_al_Biodiversity_Conserv_09.pdf . 2010-06-25 . dead .