Nosukha is an animal. Lifestyle and habitat of the nose

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Nosuha is a small, cute mammal. They were so nicknamed for their very mobile nose, which reflects the main emotions of the animal. The scientific name of the animal is coati, which means “Nose” in Indian. Since people increasingly began to have exotic animals in their homes, the nose is also a pet of many families, its behavior has been studied both in the wild and at home.

Scientific classification

• Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia (mammals)
• Order: Carnivora (predatory)
• Family: Procyonidae (raccoonidae)
• Genus: Nasua (nose)

The common name "coati" is of Tupian origin, a reference to the nose's habit of sleeping with its nose buried in its stomach.

The genus Nasua includes two species:

• white-nosed coati (Nasua narica);
• common nose (Nasua nasua)

Before 1900, taxonomic division was based primarily on coat color.

How to care for an opossum at home?

• An opossum, like a cat, can wash itself with its paws. But, unlike cats, the former love to swim.
• By the way, if you suddenly notice that your pet smells unpleasant, it means he may be sick. In this case, you will have to urgently show the animal to the veterinarian, since a healthy possum never produces foreign odors.
• If you do not plan to breed opossums, castrate the male. In this case, its natural smell will be significantly reduced.
• How to care for an opossum at home? The main hygiene processes for an opossum are as follows - just clean your pet’s cage more often. Do this at least once every 7 days.

Spread range

Geographical distribution

Nosefish live in southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, throughout Mexico and Central America, from northwestern Colombia to Uruguay, northern Peru and Argentina.

Photo: Westend61

Natural habitat

Nosukhi are a highly adaptable species. This animal primarily occupies a variety of wooded habitats from temperate oak and pine forests to lowland tropical forests. It is rarely found in open grasslands or savannas, deserts and dry scrub forests. Coatis have been observed at high altitudes up to 2,500 meters above sea level , but most sightings have occurred at mid-altitudes.

• Biogeographic regions: neotropical
• Habitat: temperate, tropical
• Terrestrial biomes: deciduous, coniferous and tropical forest, mountains, bush

Home range

Population densities in the tropics are higher than in the drier northern latitudes of the southwestern United States. Both regions experience annual fluctuations in numbers as a result of disease or food shortages. The lowest density - 1.2-2 individuals / km2 - is in Arizona. In Costa Rica, the density is estimated at 70 individuals/km2.

Photo: Chris Benesh

The distance of daily movements was most often 1.5–2 km, with shorter daily movements in the dry season than in the rainy season. During the birthing season, home range sizes are smallest. During this season, pregnant females feed alone near their “nest”.

Coatis are an important subsistence mammal for the poor, and coati densities decline sharply with increasing human hunting pressure.

Where to keep a pet

After all the pros and cons of keeping raccoons at home have been considered and the positive aspects have won by a clear margin, it is necessary to pay special attention to the pet’s place of residence.

An animal with a long nose is by nature very active, energetic, loves to climb a lot, explore and even swim. Therefore, you should evaluate the size of your own home and the possibility of sharing it with such an active resident.

The ideal option in this case would be a spacious enclosure with a house if you start a dog in a private house.

Important! If you keep a coati in an apartment, then you need to provide it with a large spacious cage of at least 2 * 1.5 meters. In addition, periodically take the animal for walks.

If it is possible to install a swimming pool for the nose, it is definitely worth doing this, since the animal loves water very much.

Character traits

Appearance

The nose has an elongated body, a pointed muzzle with a small movable proboscis and short, round ears. The limbs are of medium height, with the hind legs longer than the front ones.

Photo: Benjamin Blaisot

Noseworts are easily distinguished from raccoons and ring-tailed camomitsli by their long, thin, non-prehensile tail , which is equal to the length of the body and is often held vertically while foraging. The coati also has an elongated proboscis ending in a flexible rhinarium that projects beyond the end of the lower jaw. Numerous external and internal muscles of the proboscis provide its unusually high mobility.

Nosukhi are excellent diggers ; with their long claws they can dig holes and tear apart rotting logs. Coatis can stand on two legs for short periods of time, but they usually walk on four legs. The front feet have webbed toes and long, powerful, blunt and slightly curved claws. The claws of the hind paws are somewhat shorter. The feet are flat-footed with bare soles, the plantar pad is wide.

Coloring

Photo: Rogerio Dias

Extensive variations in the color of noses have been reported throughout their range, even at the intrapopulation level. Breeding experiments show that even within the same litter, the coat color of individuals can be different.

The usual color is pale to reddish or dark brown to almost black, often mixed with yellow or silver. The neck and shoulders are yellow-white; muzzle, chin and throat are whitish; the mask around the eyes is pale brown to brown. Thin whitish stripes extend from the muzzle between and above the eyes. Ears with white tips. The underparts are yellowish to dark brown and the limbs are blackish. The tail is colored the same as the back and is often a reddish-brown color. The ring pattern of the tail may be barely noticeable or clearly defined.

Anatomical features

Their ankles are double-jointed and extremely flexible, allowing the animal to descend from trees head first.

Photo: Worldendemica

The canines are blade-like, and the premolars and molars have relatively tall, pointed crowns. The shape and inclination of the canines are such that when the jaws close, sliding contact occurs between the upper and lower canines. The tongue is serrated at the tip, relatively long, narrow and thin, with small conical papillae. The apical fungiform papillae of the noses are larger and more prominent than those of any other carnivore studied.

The average body temperature is 38.6-39.1 °C . A constant metabolism is maintained until the temperature drops below 20 °C, after which the metabolism increases sharply.

Males and non-breeding females moult between June and August. Females with cubs moult later than males and non-reproductive females, and the molt may not be complete until November. At the age of 8 to 12 months, young individuals usually complete the “shedding” of the birth coat in June.

• Length from head to base of tail: from 41 to 67 cm
• Tail length: from 32 to 69 cm
• Shoulder height: about 30 cm
• Body weight: from 4.5 to 11 kg

Keeping ocelots at home

The ocelot is currently one of the most beautiful and very exotic animals that can be kept even at home.
Real aesthetes highly appreciate the extravagance, extraordinary beauty and innate grace of such a wild cat. Most often, the animal is purchased from home nurseries specializing in ocelot breeding, where the kittens are taken from the female blind, and then fed artificially from the nipple until the moment of sale.

With this method of breeding, ocelots get used to humans best, and also grow up to be tame and playful, kind and affectionate, but still quite large cats. To prevent such an exotic tropical pet from marking its territory indoors, kittens must be neutered at the age of four months.

If you plan to purchase an animal for the purpose of further breeding, then it is best to provide the ocelot with an enclosure. Such pets need space and physical activity, as well as conditions that are as close as possible to the natural habitat of a wild predatory mammal.

Optimal conditions for keeping a large cat can also be provided in a private household, which can be connected by a special passage to a sufficiently spacious enclosure that is protected from the animal’s escape.

When arranging an enclosure, you need to remember that the fence must be high, and the minimum area of ​​such space cannot be less than 15-17 m2. Inside the enclosure you need to make a small pool with a convenient descent, as well as plant trees, shrubs and install several special structures designed for climbing or jumping of a domesticated cat.

The diet of adult domestic ocelots has virtually no significant differences from the diet of wild predatory cats in natural conditions. The basis of the daily diet must be represented by raw meat in the form of game, beef and chicken, as well as healthy food mice. The diet of a large domestic cat must periodically be supplemented with nutritious foods such as raw chicken or quail eggs, sea or river fish, high-quality premium and super-premium food intended for cats.

Before the age of three years, ocelots kept at home must receive mineral supplements enriched with calcium, as well as basic vitamin complexes. The standard diet for a large domestic cat involves feeding once or twice a day, in accordance with a predetermined feeding schedule.

Food given to a predatory mammal should be at room temperature. As a rule, the feeding rate is 400-500 g, but it can vary depending on the age characteristics and body weight of the pet. Leftover food must be removed or disposed of.

Using a play form, the domestic ocelot must be trained from a very early age. As a rule, such an exotic pet displays extraordinary intelligence and sufficient intelligence, and its habits can simultaneously resemble a dog and a cat.

Domestic ocelots, according to reviews from owners, love to play with small balls and easily learn to bring various objects to their owner. To walk your animal, you need to purchase a special leash and collar. Small ocelots quickly and easily learn to relieve themselves in the litter box.

Diet

Noseworts are omnivores , feeding primarily on invertebrates and fruits, although vertebrates and carrion are also consumed when available. During the wet season, up to 89% of food search time is spent searching for animals (invertebrates), while during the dry season this proportion drops to 54%; the rest of the time is spent picking fruit under the fruit-bearing trees. Coatis also eat lizards, rodents, frogs, beetles, scorpions, insects, spiders, ants, termites and small mammals.

Hunting tactics

Food is usually found by smell , with little or no reliance on sight. Food is first found by constant sniffing and then dug or retrieved from under bark, leaves or clumps of debris.

Invertebrates are often rolled between the paws, thereby quickly killing the animals, avoiding potentially harmful bites, and also removing various hairs, bristles, and spiny exoskeleton projections that can make the prey unpleasant or difficult to digest. Vertebrates are usually pinned down with their front paws and quickly bit through the skull. Larger prey may require several bites.

They eat fruit both in trees and on the ground, and usually make long climbs to reach the outermost branches of large trees. Individual trees produce so much fruit that a group of nosuhas can limit their prey to one or two trees for several days, only occasionally descending to the ground.

What does the nose eat?

Photo: Nosuha (coati)

Nosukhi are omnivores; they are unpretentious both in their habitat and in their food. An adult needs to consume 1 - 1.5 kg of food per day. When searching for food, noses rely on their acute sense of smell; with their nose, like a snout, they dig up the ground, turn over stones, sniff grass and trees. Since this is a predatory animal, first of all, noses will give preference to amphibians, frogs and lizards, eggs of reptiles and birds, scorpions, insects, larvae, rodents, mice, voles and any other small creatures. On hungry days, noses eat ants, spiders and other small things. The hunt takes place with the entire group of adults, which they adhere to. The nose first presses the victim to the ground with its paw, then inflicts a fatal bite with its small powerful jaws, then eats it piece by piece. The animal also feeds on carrion.

Nosukhi love any fruit, fresh or rotten, and are not averse to chewing on roots or young shoots of bushes. With their clawed paws, they easily peel off the bark of trees in search of beetles, flies and other insects. They are also able to dig small holes and look for anything edible in the ground. Animals have 40 teeth, some of them are very sharp, thin, some are in the form of tubercles for grinding food. This jaw arrangement is suitable for both meat and plant foods. When searching for food, the animals turn out to be very friendly: the first one to find food raises its tail up and emits a characteristic whistle. This minute the relatives will gather around the find.

Among animal lovers there are those who keep noses in their homes. Of course, it’s worth considering their daily diet. It should include meat, fish, eggs, sometimes you can give cottage cheese and cheese, they will not refuse. The simplest fruits are suitable: apples, bananas, apricots, plums, and berries. Noskhas like root vegetables to a lesser extent, but are unlikely to refuse them. It is imperative to give your pets a lot of water; it is better to ensure that the drinking bowl is constantly filled.

Lifestyle and behavior

Photo: ramassotti

Coatis are primarily diurnal and roost in trees at night in pristine tropical habitats. In Arizona, rocky ledges and dens are often used. Young animals are usually located in the center of the group during rest and sleep, and adults are around the perimeter. In populated areas of tropical America, where people hunt for noses, they switch to a crepuscular lifestyle.

During heavy rains, coatis become very nervous, the group gathers tightly together, and the cubs remain close to their mothers. Individuals hide under palm leaves, in dense thickets of bushes and on the tops of trees. After the rains stop, the noses return to normal activities.

Nosukhi are arboreal and terrestrial animals ; they easily climb/climb small trees and vines. They have a more difficult time climbing the smooth trunks of large trees and will usually descend or ascend by moving towards the end of a branch and moving onto adjacent branches of the same tree.

Ground running speed can reach 27 km/h, and noses are able to run tirelessly for 3 hours when dogs are chasing them. The coati is a strong swimmer , although it does not usually enter the water voluntarily.

Is it possible to keep a possum at home?

• Is it possible to keep a possum at home? The opossum should spend most of its time in its cage. Therefore, think about buying a pet house in advance. There are no special possum housing units available for sale. But you can purchase a structure of any size if you visit a large pet store.
• When you decide on the dimensions of your home, try to focus on the size of your pet. The possum should feel free in the house. For example, if you plan to buy 2 animals, then they will need a cage at least 3 m high and 2x2 m in size. For one opossum, you will also need an enclosure, but its dimensions should be slightly smaller.
• What material is the cage made of? A steel enclosure will not work. The fact is that this material is harmful to the possum; it can lead to an infectious disease.
• When you select a cell, you will have to fill it. Since the animal constantly sleeps during the daytime, it cannot do without reliable shelter. Take a look at the zoological store, where the sellers will select the ideal house for you, where the animal can set up a cozy nest.

Can be kept at home

• Also remember that the opossum needs a feeder and water bottle. Place them inside the cage too. It is advisable to purchase not bowls, but special devices. They are attached to the wall of the cage - the opossum will not be able to turn them over or spill food. And cleaning such structures is much easier.
• Place shelves, branches and other devices in the cage. The pet will climb and jump on them.
• Check the wheel. But don't forget that not every possum will spin it. When you shop, choose a solid design. Since the lattice wheel injures your animal, its long tail.
• Don't forget about the tray. If the pet can figure out what exactly it is intended for, its home will always be clean.

Once you've set up your cage, find the perfect place in your house to put it. In this case, try to adhere to the following conditions:

• Never place a possum house near a radiator.
• The cage should not be placed in a place where there is a draft.
• Also, a place where the bright sun shines is not suitable. These conditions are contraindicated for the opossum's health.
• In addition, it is contraindicated to place the cage near the bed. You won't be able to sleep well around an active possum.
• Do not put bedding in your pet's cage. This will make cleaning his house much easier for you. Place some regular cat litter in the possum's litter box. Lay soft material in the cage so that the pet clings to it with its paws.

Social structure

Nosukhi are social animals ; several adult females and their offspring form groups of up to 25 individuals, and sometimes more. These are not harem groups, since all adult males lead a solitary lifestyle.

Groups contain mostly closely related individuals, although unrelated members have also been observed. New groups can be formed by dividing or merging existing communities. Migration of individuals between groups also occurs.

Dominance hierarchies do not emerge among group members, and groups often break into subgroups for a few hours or sometimes for 1-2 days.

Photo: lookphotos

Occasional long-term matings between males and groups have been documented outside the breeding season in Arizona and Panama. Males who socialize with groups can gain benefits such as:

• lower percentage of ectoparasites;
• protection from potential predators;
• protection from other adult males.

Fights between adult males are common, especially during the breeding season, and bite wounds are observed on 30% of males .

Photo: Ignacio A. Rodríguez

Noseworts exhibit a wide range of social behaviors, including cooperative grooming, nursing, wariness, and aggressive behavior against predators. Groups tend to be a bit agonistic towards other groups when they meet. Adult males that approach groups are typically chased away aggressively by one or more group members, including juveniles. Females often groom each other in an excited manner after such chases.

Coatis do not voluntarily share or store food. However, foraging adults are tolerant of young and juveniles can often be seen sniffing the faces of feeding adults.

LIFESTYLE

One of the reasons for the strong popularity of nosukh is their varied menu. Recently, the range of nosuhs has begun to expand southward. Animals live in tropical forests and on mountain slopes, in savannas and semi-deserts, where they move freely on the ground.

Males that have reached sexual maturity stay alone, while females, young males and cubs form flocks of up to 40 animals. Noses are most active in the morning and at sunset - at this time they feed. Adult animals devote a lot of time to caring for their fur, and young animals frolic and arrange comic fights.

Nose roosts roost in small groups and sleep curled up in the forks of branches or in the hollows of trees. The individual territory of a nosukha rarely occupies an area of ​​more than one square kilometer. The territories of different packs usually overlap with the domains of adult single males. Males living in neighboring territories are tolerant of each other.

Communication and perception

Photo: Image Professionals

Nosukhas are highly vocal , with a rich repertoire of specific vocalizations for expressing aggression, appeasement, anxiety and maintaining contact between individuals. Some vocalizations are only produced by certain age or sex categories, with group members typically being much more vocal than solitary adult males.

Visual cues and scent markings are also used. Although males mark all year round, for females this behavior is most often characteristic of the pre-nuptial season. Sniffing the perineum of adult females by mature males has been observed both in the wild and in captivity.

Description of musangs

A small and nimble predatory mammal belonging to the Viverridae family, it has a very characteristic appearance. In their appearance, musangs vaguely resemble a ferret and a cat. Since 2009, the issue of adding several endemics to the territory of Sri Lanka to the three existing species of musang has been considered.

Appearance

The average body length of an adult musang is about 48-59 cm, with a total tail length of 44-54 cm. The weight of a mature predatory animal varies from 1.5-2.5 to 3.8-4.0 kg. Musangs have a very flexible and elongated body on short but strong legs, which have the usual retractable claws, like those of any cat. The animal is distinguished by a wide head with a narrow muzzle and a large wet nose, very large bulging eyes, as well as fairly widely spaced and rounded ears of medium size. The teeth are short, rounded, and the molars have a pronounced square shape.

The paws and muzzle, as well as the ears of this wild animal, are noticeably darker than the color of the body. There may be whitish spots in the muzzle area. The coat of the animal is quite hard and thick, in grayish tones. The fur is represented by a soft undercoat and a tougher outer coat.

Character and lifestyle

Musangs are typical nocturnal animals. During the daytime, such small animals try to sit comfortably on tangles of vines, among tree branches, or quite easily and quickly climb into squirrel holes, where they go to sleep. Only after sunset do they begin active hunting and searching for food. At this time, Malayan palm martens very often make shrill and extremely unpleasant sounds. Thanks to the presence of claws and the structure of the limbs, musangs are able to move very well and quickly through trees, where such a mammalian predator spends a significant part of its free time. If necessary, the animal runs neatly and quickly enough on the ground.

Sometimes Malayan palm civets settle on the roofs of residential buildings or stables, where they scare residents at night with loud noise and characteristic screams. However, the small and incredibly active predator brings enormous benefits to humans, destroying very large numbers of rats and mice, as well as preventing epidemics spread by these rodents. Palm martens lead a preferentially solitary lifestyle, so this predatory mammal unites in pairs exclusively during the mating season for reproduction.

How long does a musang live?

The average, officially registered life expectancy of a musang in the wild is between 12-15 years, and a domestic predatory animal can easily live up to twenty years, but domesticated individuals are known whose age was almost a quarter of a century.

Sexual dimorphism

Females and males of the musang have special glands resembling testicles, which secrete a special odorous secretion with a characteristic musky odor. As such, pronounced morphological differences between males and females of the same species are completely absent. Females have three pairs of nipples.

Reproduction

Breeding season

Photo: Stocksy

Noseworts breed once a year . All mating activity in the population occurs within 2-4 weeks, although this period may vary slightly from year to year. Copulation can take place in trees or on the ground. Several males may breed with females during one mating season.

The gestation period of nose is 70-77 days. After the mating season, pregnant females separate from the group and give birth alone in a tree or den. Childbirth occurs during the period of maximum fetal availability. Breeding season in northern latitudes occurs in mid-April, births occur in late June, and females and their young join the group in August. In southern latitudes, breeding occurs from late January to mid-February, and young are born in April or early May.

Cubs development

Litter size varies from two to seven young . Newborns weigh about 180 grams, head length is 155-165 mm, tail length is 100-110 mm. After 10 days, the average newborn measurements are: body weight = 214 grams, total length = 305 mm, tail length = 128 mm. At 40 days of age, when females and their young join the group, the young weigh approximately 500 grams.

Photo: florperaza

The young open their eyes after 10-11 days, and begin to walk and hold their tail straight after another 11 days. Cubs are born without teeth . The incisors first erupt after 15 days, and the canines after 27 days. The primary dentition fills out approximately 2 months after birth. Adult canines begin to erupt at approximately 9 months of age.

When the cubs are first released from the den, they are small, not fully developed, and have difficulty keeping up with the group. The group appears to be limiting their movements during this time. During the first week after rejoining the group, females sometimes leave their young unattended in a temporary shelter while they forage for food.

• Mating system: polygamy
• Breeding season: January to April, exact times vary by location
• Average number of offspring: 3-4 cubs
• Gestation period: 10 to 11 weeks
• Average weaning age: 4 months
• Average age of sexual or reproductive maturity: 2 years (females), 3 years (males)
• Lifespan: 7-8 years in the wild, up to 17 years in captivity

REPRODUCTION

During the mating season, each adult male nosukha tries to create a family - a group of females with cubs. At this time, males arrange fights among themselves, the winners of which return to their families with honor and participate in the wool cleaning ritual. The male marks the territory in which the family lives with odorous marks and protects it from the encroachments of competitors. Competitors strive to avoid encounters with the sharp claws of the owner of the territory. After mating, the females kick out the male, probably to protect the future babies from the danger of being eaten by their own father. Pregnancy in all types of noses lasts 2.5 months. 3-4 weeks before the birth of the cubs, the pregnant female leaves the flock and looks for a place suitable for giving birth. Nosuha's litter can contain 2-6 cubs. Newborns grow very quickly. When a mother returns with her babies, young animals and mature females who currently do not have cubs help her raise their offspring. Occasionally, the family is visited by the father, who takes care of the fur of the grown-up babies. According to some scientists, he does this in order to remember their smell and not kill them during the hunt.

Interspecies interactions

These animals help control populations of insects, reptiles and amphibians. However, they are also considered agricultural pests that cause damage to crops.

Photo: Zoo de Mervent

Because coatis are omnivores, many species compete with them for food, such as coyotes and gray foxes. Interactions with armadillos, agoutis, howler monkeys, tapirs, collared peccaries and red-tailed squirrels are generally non-agonistic. Mirikins (night monkeys) and kinkajous compete with coatis for fruits, but since both are nocturnal, they rarely interact with noses. But ordinary capuchins are direct competitors.

Nosefish are an important food source for larger predators, primarily felines (jaguars, pumas, ocelots, jaguarundi), snakes (boa constrictors, rattlesnakes), primates and large birds of prey (falcons, harpies, hawks). In some regions, people also hunt for their meat. Intraspecific predation of juveniles by adult males has also been reported. Minors have the highest mortality rate.

Natural enemies of noses

Photo: Nosoha raccoon

Larger predators pose a danger to the nose. There are three main groups of natural enemies that live side by side with them. In open areas, in the absence of forests, they are most often hunted by birds of prey, for example, kites and hawks. Therefore, noses prefer to stay in those areas where there is some kind of shelter: trees, stones, crevices, holes.

The next no less dangerous enemies of noses are predatory cats: jaguars, ocelots, leopards. They pose a danger again on earth. Although these predators can move deftly through trees, they hunt mainly on the ground. It is almost impossible for a nose to escape from such a predator; it is inferior to them in everything: in speed, sharpness, and size. And we can separately note such dangerous inhabitants of tropical forests as snakes. Boas are very adapted to life in forests and their coloring camouflages them against the general background. Often noses fall into this trap. Having suffocated them, the boas swallow them whole and slowly digest them.

Although it has claws and sharp teeth, it does not use them for defense against predators; it is too small. Nevertheless, an interesting fact is that noses are able to run for quite a long time from approaching danger; according to some reports, they can not slow down for up to three hours in a row.

Save Status

The IUCN Red List has a status of Least Concern, although it is classified as an endangered species in New Mexico. The population in the Burro Mountains of New Mexico suffered a significant decline as a result of poisoning during an indiscriminate predator control campaign in the 1970s. Currently, coatis are protected by law in New Mexico.

Widespread hunting of coatis and habitat loss in northern Mexico have significantly reduced the population, which is now isolated from American populations. In Honduras, nosuchus is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Appendix III.

INTERESTING FACTS. DID YOU KNOW THAT...

• At the age of 3-4 weeks, babies try to get out of the nest in which they were born. A caring mother catches them and brings them back.
• In South America, the nose is hunted for meat. Local residents do not consider the fur of these animals valuable.
• Noses easily adapt to different living conditions, but do not tolerate frost. In the mountains, where the air temperature often drops below zero, snouts often freeze the tips of their proboscis.
• Until recently, scientists considered male noses to be a separate species, living separately from females with cubs.
• Exotic temperamental noses are a favorite object of observation for zoo visitors.