COATI  , or COATI-MUNDI, the native name of the members of the genus Nasua, of the mammalian

family Procyonidae . They are easily recognized by their long body and tail, and elongated, upturned snout; from which last feature the Germans call them Riisselbdren or " snouted bears." In the white-nosed coati, a native of Mexico and Central America, the general hue is brown, but the snout and upper lip are white, and the tail is often banded . In the red coati, ranging from Surinam to Paraguay, the tail is marked with from seven to nine broad fulvous or rufous rings, alternating with black ones, and tipped with black . Coatis are gregarious and arboreal in habit, and feed on birds, eggs, lizards and insects . They are common pets of the Spaniards in South America .