South American Coati

(Nasua nasua)

These are some of the cutest critters you are likely to run into in the tropical forests of Central and South America: the Coatis. The South American Coati is one of three coati species.

They make look like a cross between a ringtailed lemur and an anteater, but they are actually members of the same family as the raccoon, the Procyonids! See how they’re related in the OneZoom interactive tree of life:

Coatis have an unusual social structure. Females form large bands with their young offspring, while adult males are solitary!

I saw this large band of females and their young crossing the Transpantaneira highway in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil.