Comments on: Coatis Galore: 1898 to Present

By: Terry W. Colvin

Terry W. Colvin — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:27:18 +0000

Coatimundis roam into southern Arizona as do jaguars.

I’ve seen two coatimundis high in the Huachuca Mountains at the 6,000 foot level. These mountains are adjacent to Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista. My first sighting I mistook the coatimundi for a small bear until I saw the gigantic tail.

By: shumway10973

shumway10973 — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 02:41:38 +0000

I happen to know for a fact that those buggers can be found just about anywhere. I’m sure the ones found in Britain had human help, but I live in northern california and I’ve seen one. I’ve also seen what I believe to be a ringed tailed marmot. With their energy and dexterity I can see them being anywhere. No sure if they can swim, and if they can, are they as good as the armadillo. Armadillos have been known to swim the gulf of mexico. I loved the comment by the british person, “…and I thought — you don’t have a UK passport.” Sometimes I really enjoy everyday british humor.

By: pteroophia

pteroophia — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 05:32:01 +0000

Coatis here in the UK.. sweet, I’ll have to go check it out

By: ilexoak

ilexoak — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 01:26:54 +0000

Wonder if that animal was the inspiration for the “Eugene the Jeep” in the Popeye cartoons. Think that’s what they called him. He had a habit of popping up unexpectedly and dissappearing magically.

BTW, that’s were the name for the vehicle came from as well.

Wayne

By: twblack

twblack — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 21:17:00 +0000

You never know!

By: Jeremy_Wells

Jeremy_Wells — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 21:11:24 +0000

WEll, it makes sense that coatis, like coyote, might have extended (or be extending) their range here in the Americas.
But it’s pretty shocking to think of not only an escaped coati, but a breeding colony of them, in the UK.
Not too different from nutria in Louisiana or foxes and rabbits in Australia though, I don’t suppose.
But as big as a labrador? Do coati get that big in S. America? Maybe it’s just the few represtantives I’ve seen in zoos and on TV were smaller, but that seems pretty large.

By: Georgia_Bigfoot

Georgia_Bigfoot — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 19:59:30 +0000

Interestingly enough we got a picture of something that looks very similar to a coati on one of our game cameras. Had the picture been just a bit clearer we might have had confirmation of the little buggers here in Georgia.

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 13:14:01 +0000

Yay, something other than Johor to talk about!

Seriously though, I find it interesting that after spending centuries wiping out all the major predators in Europe and North America, man seems to be busy replacing them, albeit accidentally. All the more ironic when other parts of the world seem intent on following the trend. How strange would it be if tigers are wiped out in their native habitats, only to establish themselves on the moors of Great Britain or the plains of Midwest America? Having stopped the fox hunts, will the Brits now start up Coatimundi chases?

This global shifting of animal populations, whereby creatures that have never met each other (Having been separated by mountains, oceans, and whole continents) are forced into contact, is considered by many scientists to be one of the most profound changes to the course of life on Earth since the K-T extinction. Couple that with the next great extinction that mankind has been steadily working on for centuries, and terrestrial life is clearly in for a bumpy ride.