Editing Coati (section)

==Behaviour==
[[Image:Coati in "la venta" México.JPG|thumbnail|Coati showing its canines]]
Little is known about the behaviour of the mountain coatis,<ref name=split/> and the following is almost entirely about the coatis of the genus ''Nasua''. Unlike most members of the raccoon family ([[Procyonidae]]), coatis are primarily [[diurnality|diurnal]]. [[Nasua]] coati females and young males up to two years of age are gregarious and travel through their territories in noisy, loosely organised bands made up of four to 25 individuals, foraging with their offspring on the ground or in the forest canopy. Males over two years become solitary due to behavioural disposition and collective aggression from the females and will join the female groups only during the [[breeding season]].

When provoked, or for defence, coatis can be fierce fighters; their strong jaws, sharp [[Canine tooth|canine teeth]], and fast scratching paws, along with a tough hide sturdily attached to the underlying muscles, make it very difficult for potential predators (e.g., dogs or [[jaguar]]s) to seize the smaller mammal.

Coatis communicate their intentions or moods with chirping, snorting, or grunting sounds. Different chirping sounds are used to express joy during [[social grooming]], appeasement after fights, or to convey irritation or anger. Snorting while digging, along with an erect tail, states territorial or food claims during foraging. Coatis additionally use special postures or moves to convey simple messages; for example, hiding the nose between the front paws as a sign for submission; lowering the head, baring teeth, and jumping at an enemy signal an aggressive disposition. Individuals recognise other coatis by their looks, voices, and smells, the individual smell is intensified by special [[musk]]-glands on their necks and bellies.

Coatis from [[Panama]] are known to rub their own fur and that of other troop members with [[resin]] from ''[[Trattinnickia aspera]]'' ([[Burseraceae]]) trees, but its purpose is unclear. Some proposed possibilities are it serves as an [[insect repellent]], a [[fungicide]], or as a form of [[Scent marking|scent-marking]].<ref name=costa>{{cite book|title=The Natural History of Costa Rican Mammals|author=Wainwright, M.|year=2002|page=226|isbn=978-0-9705678-1-9|publisher=Zona Tropical|location=Miami, FL}}</ref> Coatis rub [[preputial gland]] secretions on objects in their [[home range]]s, but do not have [[Anal gland|anal glands]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shannon |first=D. |last2=Kitchener |first2=A. C. |last3=Macdonald |first3=A. |date=June 1995 |title=The preputial glands of the coati, Nasua nasua |url=https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1995.tb04495.x |journal=Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=236 |issue=2 |pages=319–322 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1995.tb04495.x |issn=0952-8369}}</ref>