With monikers including Brazilian aardvarks, tejónes,
Panamanian gatosolos, hog-nosed coons, pizotes, coatimundi, crackoons, snookum bears (easily my favorite), and coatis, the raccoon’s
Mexican cousin seems to travel with many forms of id.
Out and about day and night, these masked critters spend
daylight hours digging for treasure (that is, anything edible), sleeping in
trees in the cover of night. Traveling with plenty of snookum bear friends
(seriously, it’s a fantastic name), their menu is extensive, their tastes
diverse, and their general aura adorable.
With its jaunty striped tail and bizarrely dexterous nose,
the coati squeaks, grunts, and burrows its way right into your heart. When it’s
not rifling through your garbage.
