Coatis are mammals, native to South & Central America along with the South Western United States. The ones I saw are called white-nosed Coatis. These animals are diurnal, which means they are primarily awake during the daytime.
Coatis look like a mix of a racoon and a monkey. They have black and white coloring with white rings around their eyes. They also have long snouts and long tails with black and gray stripes.
This was a magical moment for me. At first, I only saw three Coatis walking through the forest. Then, my friends and I waited quietly and we saw an entire pack of them. Coatis travel in large packs (5 - 30) of females and juveniles to protect them from predators. The moms and the babies were sniffing the ground, looking for food. It was so cool to see them in their natural environment!
Coatis live in the forests of Costa Rica (rainforest, cloud forest, dry forest), but they also can be found in urban areas.
