Cozumel Coati

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.

Cozumel Island coati
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Procyonidae
Genus:	Nasua
Species:	N. narica
Subspecies:	N. n. nelsoni
Trinomial name
Nasua narica nelsoni Merriam, 1901
Cozumel Island coati range
Synonyms
Nasua nelsoni

It has been treated as a species, but the vast majority of recent authorities treat it as a subspecies of the white-nosed coati. 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. The level of other differences also support its status as a subspecies rather than a separate species.

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

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  Cozumel coati family at Fury Beach. Mexico
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  Specimen on beach