Common nosy: a large small predator. Nosuha (coati)

Nosuha is a fascinating animal, whose second name is coati, living in forests with a tropical climate in South and Central America. The animal has this name because of its nose, which is very sensitive and mobile. The domestic coati can be tamed very well, but you should remember that coatis are representatives of the wild, so it can sometimes be very difficult to establish relationships with them.

Recently, noses have started to be kept as pets. Because of his appearance this pet, will certainly please all members of your family.

A few content rules

Therefore, if you decide to become the owner of a homemade nose dryer, you need to pay attention to the following nuances:

The animal can make sounds similar to bird chirping. Sometimes they can be very loud and make the owner uncomfortable.
A domestic dog is the size of an average dog, so before purchasing it, you should provide it with a sufficient amount of free space in the apartment.
Coatis cannot be trained to use a litter box, so cleaning your pet's home will have to be done quite often.
During free walks, it is imperative to look after your pet, since natural environment The coati is very active.
You need to purchase individuals that are bred from domestic animals, since the animal is difficult to tame.
If a situation you don’t like arises, the nose can easily scratch the owner, since it has fairly long claws.

If you are satisfied with all the above nuances, the nose at home will become a good exotic pet.

Caring for and arranging a new home

The animal, even despite all the peculiarities of behavior and maintenance, can become an excellent pet and get along with its owner. Watching a coati only brings positive emotions. They tend to take food with their paws and also get things that interest them.

Before purchasing an animal, you need to take into account all the specific features of keeping a dog, and also soberly assess your housing capabilities in order to provide the animal with the proper free space.

The best housing for a nose will be a large enclosure, on the territory of which there will be a house similar to a dog house. Coatis can swim, climb trees, jump, in general, they lead a very active life, so having such an enclosure is a must.

In the event that the owner cannot equip an enclosure of this type, and the pet will live in an enclosed space, that is, an apartment, you need to prepare an appropriate cage for him, the height of which will be 2 m and the width 1.5 m. The cage can be equipped in the same way, as for . However, you should take into account that coatis do not really like to be in enclosed spaces, so walks with your pet will be mandatory. To protect your animal, you need to walk it, like a dog, on a leash.

A pet nose will never refuse water treatments, so if your area allows you to provide her with constant access to water, you need to give her the opportunity to bathe when she wants it.

Positive aspects of noses as pets:

It is of medium size.
Does not emit an unpleasant odor.
He is not capricious in his choice of food.
There is no shedding.
Life expectancy is 20-25 years.
Quite playful, in relation to humans they resemble dogs.

Places to buy nose wear

You should choose the place where you buy your clothes very carefully. Because even on a bulletin board there may be a couple of offers. To buy a good and healthy pet and not run into scammers, you should take the following steps:

First, he will meet with the owner of the animal and make sure that everything is fine with the future pet.
Go to forums where some experienced breeders may sell offspring from their pet coatis.
Search for nurseries that breed noses. However, before purchasing an animal, you need to visit a nursery to check whether the animal is wild, and also make sure that the animal is healthy. If the owners of the nursery do not give you permission to visit it, you should doubt the reputation of such an establishment.
It is imperative that you inspect your pet before purchasing it. If the animal is sick, it will not be active, and its eyes and nose will be dirty. The animal must also have a clean anal opening.
It is not worth buying an animal without seeing it with delivery, since in this way they sell sick individuals, or wild representatives. If the delivery of an animal takes a long period of time, the animal may even die on the way.

Use these instructions and your home nose will be healthy and active.

Features of feeding and diet of nose

Fresh or pre-boiled chicken and quail eggs.
Lean meats.
Pre-cooked fish.
Boiled vegetables: carrots, potatoes, corn, zucchini.
Pears, plums, apples, grapes, persimmons, kiwi, bananas, avocados.
Strawberries, cherries, currants, blueberries, raspberries.

When complete absence products, feeding the nose can be done using cat or dog food (premium class), but you must soak it with water.

It should also be remembered that each animal may have preferences for different foods, so they should be fed what they liked most.

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The mammals in these photos, with their elongated and mobile noses, are known as coatis or noses.

Nosukha or coati.
Nose on a tree branch.

These animals belong to the raccoon family and have been known to people since the times of the aborigines, who were the first to give the name Coati - coatimundi, which means “coati” - belt, “mun” - “nose”.

Settlers from Europe first called coatis “badgers”; the animals received this name from the Mexicans, but after real badgers were brought to Mexico, coatis were renamed.

Three types of these animals can be distinguished:

common nose (lives in South America);
coati (lives below North America);
Nelson's nose.

Also in the Andes there is a mountain nosoha, but it belongs to a separate genus Nasuella.

Coati habitat

Due to their unpretentiousness to their habitat, nosushi easily adapts to mountainous areas, deserts and tropics. Despite the fact that coatis are land animals, they feel great near bodies of water and are excellent swimmers. The habitat is considered to be the territory of Northern and South America. You won’t be able to see the animals within the city, but a walk through the meadows, to the foot of the mountains and hills will give you a chance to meet them.

If adult individuals can be seen moving on the ground or climbing trees, then the offspring are hidden even from their flock neighbors until they reach 4-5 weeks. Grown-up animals can be seen among adults who teach them how to move and hunt. It is also worth noting that the cubs are carefully guarded by the entire flock, and any member of the flock can give signals of danger if a stranger approaches the flock.

Homemade nose.

Distinctive features

The body structure of noses is somewhat similar to raccoons, but with pronounced individual characteristics. Let's describe the nose, although the photos speak for themselves.

medium-sized head - proportional to the whole body;
almond-shaped black eyes have a more expressive look due to their white outline;
small round ears, almost completely hidden in the fur;
the presence of an elongated nose and the ability to move it;
the height of the animals does not exceed 30 cm, and the body length is 40-70 cm, excluding the length of the tail and reaching a weight of 11 kg;
in the color of the stripes on the tail, they can be light red or beige, brown and black; tail length reaches 30-60 cm;
the front legs are short and have flexible palms with tenacious fingers;
hind legs longer than forelegs;
All paws have long and sharp claws, which coatis use to move, especially along vegetation branches, and also to get food;
The short fur is dark brown or orange in color.

The noses are playing on the ground.

A young moose on a stone in nature.

Nose at the zoo on Halloween.

Photo of nose.

Nose with an open mouth.

Nose.

A flock of noses in the city.

Lifestyle

Noses are active during the daytime and spend most of their time on land. The animals prefer a leisurely lifestyle, marked by free walking.

Increased activity is observed during search and catching of prey, as well as in case of danger. At this time, the coati begins to move quickly and can jump short distances.

At night, raccoon-like animals sleep in their nests, built in trees from available plant material.

Nosuha climbed up a tree.

Nose in the zoo.

Noses at the zoo.

By nature, the animals are much calmer than their fellow raccoons. They are also not fussy about their living conditions, so they feel quite comfortable both in freedom and when it is limited.

Caught in wildlife animals quickly adapt to being kept at home. Suitable for their content free cells and enclosures. The main thing is access to clean and fresh air and provide adequate nutrition.

Choice in quality pet noses, can be considered, on the one hand, correct. These animals are quite calm and get along well with people. It will take a little time for the coati to get used to its owners and begin to show its trust in them. Don't be afraid to trust children, even adults. In play and affection, the animal behaves calmly, without pronounced aggression, manifested in biting and scratching.

Like all pets, noses will require the provision of suitable living conditions for them. Since this animal, by its nature, is accustomed to space, searching for food by digging and scratching, then in order to maintain the integrity of the home environment, it is worth purchasing a spacious cage or enclosure for its nose. In the animal’s unique personal space, it is necessary to place a drinking bowl and feeder, with constant access to them. It is also worth considering that in the wild they live in nests in trees, so it is necessary to build them a house in which they will sleep. Depending on the size of the cage, it is necessary to place in it an appropriately sized ladder for climbing, or even better, a log on which the pet can sharpen its claws. Sawdust and dry leaves are suitable as flooring for the enclosure, from which the coati will independently arrange a suitable flooring for them in the sleeping house.

Depending on the conditions of keeping, at home and the absence of dangerous factors in the wild, coatis can live up to 17 years of age.

Noses at the zoo.

Nosukha asks for food.

A flock of noses on the road.

Nosuha thought about it.

Reproduction

When observing noses, you can notice solitary animals and groups consisting of 5-40 individuals. Groups of noses consist of adult females and their young. Males, on the contrary, are loners and join the group only to mate with females. Males cannot be considered completely removed from the group; they are constantly nearby, protecting their offspring and females from alien males.

For reproduction, males choose mainly the same partners. Very rarely there is an attempt by an experienced male, or a very young one, to mate with a female from someone else’s pack. Such moments are marked by fights between two males in an attempt to defend their “lady”.

If an alien male wins the fight for a female from another pack, then they will immediately mark the nearby territory with a specific smell, which makes it clear to other males about the presence of the owner. Males begin to engage in direct squeaking of their companion after two years of age, after which all individuals reach puberty.

After successful mating, the female bears the offspring for 75-77 days. After 50 days of pregnancy, the female becomes aggressive and drives away the male, leaving the pack at this time. The birth of small coatis occurs in a nest in a tree, built by the female during pregnancy. One litter brings 2-6 cubs.

A small nose on a stump.

Nose muzzle.

Nutrition of animals in different conditions

The main assistant in the search for food of the nose is considered to be their trunk-shaped nose. Moving on land or along a tree, animals sniff everything around, catch the slightest odors of prey and follow them. Nosushi feed on small animals and insects taken from the ground from under the bark of plants. They gain access to this type of food through long and sharp claws, which allow them to dig the ground and tear apart the bark.

In addition, coatis catch lizards and frogs, upon detection of which the animal begins to actively hunt them. Animals caught by the nose are killed by biting the neck. Lifeless prey is eaten immediately, in small parts, which are torn off with clawed paws.

The ability to climb trees gives the opportunity to enjoy fresh and delicious fruits. As you can see, raccoon-like animals are omnivores and can completely replace one type of product with another.

The wild world is dangerous for every animal living in it, and noses are no exception. The approach of a larger and beast of prey is marked by the emission of a loud whistle, as well as a fluffed and raised tail.

lean meat;
lean fish;
boiled and raw eggs;
fruit;
fermented milk product - cottage cheese, which contain all essential vitamins and microelements.

The daily norm of an adult reaches 1-1.5 kg of the total amount of food, in addition, the drinking bowl must always be full of fresh water.

They got their name due to their nose - elongated and quite mobile. Previously, they were called badgers, however, when real badgers were brought to Mexico, where they live, this animal was given a different, proper name.

The article provides information about the nose: photo of the animal, where it lives, lifestyle, etc.

General information

It should be noted that the word “nosuha” (coat or coatimundi) comes from the Indian Tupian. Coati translates as "belt", mun - nose.

Coatis (or noses) are mammals belonging to the raccoon family. This funny and cute animal resembles a fox. It lives in South and Central America. This good-natured animal is a favorite of the local Indians. They are distinguished by their sociable and friendly disposition, love to play with children and are quite easily tamed. However, farmers have a cooler attitude towards chickens due to the habit of these animals to come to their farmlands for chickens. Therefore, they have to set traps on them and even shoot them on the approaches to the farm. Fortunately, their population is not in danger yet - the numbers are quite large.

It is quite acceptable to keep a nose as a pet. She is quickly and easily tamed by people.

Kinds

Naturalists from Europe, having first seen the noses, identified about 30 varieties based on the behavior and coat color of these animals, but modern taxonomists have reduced this number to three today. And this is completely justified.

Both the morphology and behavior of noses are actually variable. Even the behavior of males and females is so different that they can be classified as completely different species. Of course, these differences are to a greater extent concern social behavior animals: females live in organized small groups (“clans”) with their cubs, and males live alone. Behavioral relationships among noses are also quite complex and a little incomprehensible. For example, clan members can clean each other, and also take care of not only their own cubs, but also those of others. Among other things, they work together as a community to ward off predators.

In total, depending on their habitat, three types of noses are distinguished: coati, common and Nelson's nose (previously it was a separate species). Another species, the mountain nose, found only in the north-west of South America (in the valleys of the Andes), belongs to a separate genus of mountain nose (Nasuella).

Habitats

Nosukha (a photo of the animal is presented in the article) lives in the tropics of Central and South America. The range extends from Venezuela and Colombia to Uruguay, northern Argentina and Ecuador. On the western and eastern slopes of the Andes they can be found up to 2500 meters. These animals have perfectly adapted to live in a variety of natural conditions. They inhabit a wide variety of areas: bushes and evergreens. rain forests. These animals are found in lowland primary forests, rocky areas, wooded areas along river banks and in dense bushes. Currently, due to human influence, they prefer to settle along forest edges and secondary forests.

Most of all they prefer conifers and deciduous forests moderate climate zone. They can easily withstand both winter frosts and summer heat.

Description

The head of the nose (see photo in the article) is narrow and elongated. The muzzle ends with a surprisingly mobile nose. Small ears are slightly rounded. Small brown eyes set close together. There are light, symmetrical spots around the nose and eyes, and dark areas are noticeable on the cheeks. The long striped tail (about 69 centimeters), used by the animal for balancing, is covered with short, thick fur. The toes have strong claws and the tips of the paws are dark. The height at the withers reaches 29 centimeters, however, females are two times smaller in size than males. The length of the body with tail is 80-130 centimeters, weight - up to 6 kilograms. The color of the nose is varied: they are found with dark brown, red and grayish-brown coat colors.

The lifespan of this animal in the wild is approximately 14 years, but in domestic conditions they live longer - more than 17 years.

Lifestyle, behavior

Nosukhi are animals that are active throughout the daylight hours. They spend the night on the largest tree branches. They descend to the ground early in the morning, before dawn. The morning toilet consists of a thorough cleaning of the fur, after which they go hunting with their tail funnyly sticking up. The animal searches for food in fallen leaves, among branches and stones, which it deftly turns over. They rest at noon only on the hottest summer days.

Females and their young live in groups of about 20 individuals, while males usually remain solitary. There are brave males who try to join groups of females, however, there they usually meet with resistance. Females make barking sounds to warn their group of approaching danger.

Nosukhi are animals that communicate with each other through a rich set of sounds, developed facial expressions and signaling poses. Their natural enemies are predator birds, boa constrictors, ocelots and jaguars. If danger approaches, they hide in the nearest hole or hole. In the process of escaping from predators, their speed can reach up to 30 kilometers per hour. In addition, they can run for up to three hours without stopping. On the calmest days, these animals slowly walk around their home domain (area from 40 to 300 hectares), covering 2-7 kilometers per day.

A little about membership in the Nosukh clan

Who is a legitimate member of the Nosukh clan? Presumably, clans should be formed on the basis of blood relationships. However, in the case of noses, the results of genetic studies show that, in fact, the clans of these amazing animals also include unrelated individuals.

Large-scale field studies that were carried out in Panama demonstrated that those same unrelated clan representatives are often the target of aggression from all other animals. They push them out of the territory of their community. And there it is quite possible to become a victim of predators. It turns out that it is more profitable for noses to be in a clan, while receiving some advantages.

Diet

Nosuha is an omnivorous animal. The diet includes various larvae, eggs, earthworms, beetles, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, ants, lizards, crabs, frogs and small rodents. They love to eat fruits various plants And ripe fruits, which are picked up from the ground or plucked from branches.

Sometimes noses explore garbage near human settlements, and they are also able to steal chickens from farmers.

Reproduction

As noted above, adult males live alone, and they meet with other males only during the breeding season. At the same time, males fight among themselves for the right to mate with females of a certain group.

The mating season lasts from January to March. The duration of pregnancy is 75 days. The female makes a nest for the babies in a hollow or on the ground, in a hole. She gives birth to up to 6 cubs at a time. To keep them near her, the female makes whimpering sounds.

About newborns

Nosoha animals in the newborn state are helpless: blind, completely devoid of hair, weighing about 80 g. The eyes open approximately 10 days after birth. By 24 days of age, they develop the ability to focus their eyes and walk. At 26 days, the cubs begin to climb branches. When the cubs are about 5-6 weeks old, the female returns with them to family group. Mothers look after young people up to 4 months old.

Young females reach reproductive maturity at approximately 2 years of age, and male participation in reproduction begins at approximately 3 years of age. It should also be noted that adult males pose a danger to cubs. This is due to the fact that the latter are always expelled from the family group.

Finally

Men in Lately The forests where these cute and funny animals live are increasingly being cut down, which is the main reason for the decline in their numbers. Nosukhi quickly get used to people, so they are able to live near human dwellings. However, people are often aggressive towards noses due to the fact that they cause significant damage to farms.

Fortunately, today there is no threat of extinction for nosuha, but this cannot be said that there is no reason for concern. For example, one of the subspecies - Nelson's nosuha (little studied), living in Mexico (Cozumel Island), is threatened with destruction due to rapidly developing tourism and industry, and the mountain nosuha turned out to be quite sensitive to human use of lands where forests have been cut down.

The word "nosuha" (coatimundi or coat) comes from the Tupian Indian language: "coati" means "belt", "mun" means "nose". The animals belong to the raccoon family. Nosukhi got their name due to their movable trunk-shaped nose.

South American nose ( Nasua nasua) is found in tropical regions of South America, from Colombia and Venezuela to Uruguay, Ecuador and northern Argentina. On the eastern and western slopes of the Andes they are found up to 2500 meters above sea level. Within their range, they inhabit a variety of habitats, from scrubland to primary evergreen rain forest. They can be found in lowland forests, riverine woodlands, dense bushes and rocky areas. Thanks to human influence, they currently prefer secondary forests and forest edges.

The South American nose is characterized by a narrow head with an elongated and upwardly directed, very flexible, movable nose. The ears are small and round, with white rims on the inside. The muzzle is usually a uniform brown or black color. Pale, lighter spots are located above, below, and behind the eyes. The neck is yellowish.

The legs are short and powerful, while their ankles are very mobile, thanks to which the noses can climb down from the tree with both the front and rear ends of the body down. The claws on the toes are long, the soles are bare. Thanks to its strong clawed paws, the nosuha easily climbs trees and successfully uses them to search for food in the soil and forest floor. The legs are usually dark brown to black in color.

Body length reaches 73-136 cm; the average is 104.5 cm; tail length - 32-69 cm, height at the shoulders - about 30 cm. The South American nose weighs on average about 4.5 kg, but there are individuals up to 6 kg.

Their body is covered with short, thick and fluffy fur. The South American nosoha is characterized by wide variability in color not only within its range, but even among babies from the same litter. Typically, the body color varies from orange or reddish to dark brown.

The tail of the nose is long, two-colored, it has light yellowish rings alternating with rings of black or Brown, sometimes the rings are faintly visible.

South American noses are not only good tree climbers and good swimmers. On the ground they walk slowly, although at short distances they can gallop, but they have never been observed to trot. average speed their movement is approximately 1 m per second.

South American noses have blade-like fangs, and the molars and premolars have relatively high crowns with sharp tubercles. Their dental formula is i 3/3, s 1/1, p 4/4, m 2/2, with a total of 40 teeth. Despite such a powerful dental arsenal, they are omnivores. Their diet includes beetle larvae and other insects, ants, termites, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, lizards, small mammals (usually rodents), they eat bird eggs, fruits and even carrion when it is available to them. They also met in landfills, searching through human garbage and picking out anything edible from it. Sometimes South American roaches steal chickens from local farmers.

South American noses, depending on gender and age, lead different lifestyles. So females live in groups of 4-20 or more individuals. Such a group includes several mature females, and the remaining members are their immature cubs. These groups are very mobile; the animals move around a lot in search of food.

South American noses in such groups often participate in social care, and are more protected from enemies than single individuals. Females use barking vocalizations to alert members of a friendly clan to the presence of danger.

The period of raising offspring is timed to coincide with the maximum abundance of food, in particular at the time of fruit ripening.

Females after 74-77 days of pregnancy give birth 3-7; on average 5 cubs in dens, which they set up in well-protected, cozy tree hollows. At this time the female leaves her social group. Here, in the nest, the newborn babies will remain until they are able to walk and climb trees.

Newborns are very helpless: they are hairless, blind and weigh only 75-80 g. Babies' eyes open at the age of about 10 days. At 24 days of age, noses can already walk and focus their eyes. Young people are able to climb at 26 days and completely switch to solid food at 4 months. At five to six weeks of age, the female and her young return to their family group. Females often make whimpering sounds to keep their young close to them during the weaning process. Mothers continue to nurse the young until they are finally weaned at about 4 months of age.

Young females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at an average of 2 years of age, and males begin to breed at about 3 years of age.

South American moths are protected by Convention Sites III in Uruguay, but the main threats to this species are human encroachment and hunting.

Ten subspecies are currently recognized and described Nasua nasua: N.n. boliviensis Cabrera, 1956. N. n. candace Tomas, 1912. N. n. dorsalis Gray, 1866. N. n. manium: Tomas, 1912. N. n. montana: Tschudi, 1845. N. n. nasua: Linnseus, 1766. N. n. Quichua: Tomas, 1901. N. n. solitaria: Schinz, 1821. N. n. spadicea: Olfers, 1818. N. n. vittata: Tschudi, 1845.

To warn the group of danger, females make barking sounds. And in order to keep the cubs near her, the female uses whimpering sounds.

Lifespan: In nature 7-8 years. The maximum life expectancy in captivity reached 17 years and 8 months.

These differences mainly concern the social behavior of noses: males lead a solitary lifestyle, while females live well organized groups- "clans". The behavioral relationships of noses are very complex and include cooperation reminiscent of the socialization of primates; for example, clan members often groom each other, care for others' young, and work together to ward off predators.

The nose is easily recognized by its long, movable muzzle, the tip of which extends far beyond the lower jaw. Inside this long “nose” there are many sensitive receptors, thanks to which the animal distinguishes odors. Countless muscles give the nose special flexibility, which allows the nose to explore various recesses and grope for prey in them. Noses are active during the day; they spend a lot of time combing forest undergrowth and litter in search of food, stirring up leaves and hastily looking for invertebrates or fruits.
Although nosushi inhabit some arid regions, such as the southwestern United States, they are more common in tropical forests.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE NOSUKH CLAN
Which animals are legitimate members of the Nosukh clan? One might assume that clans are formed on the basis of consanguinity, but genetic studies show that in fact they also include some unrelated individuals. Large-scale field studies conducted in Panama have shown that these unrelated moths are the most likely targets of aggression from other animals. They are being pushed to the periphery common territory clan, where there is a high risk of becoming a victim of a predator. They have to pay a high price for sociality. But the final analysis showed that it is still more profitable for the nosuhs to remain in the clan and receive some advantages from this, such as access to food, than to leave it and be left alone.
Solitary males and social females

AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR In noses, the process of settlement proceeds unusually: females rarely leave the clan in which they were born, while males separate from it at the beginning of the third year of life, but they are not in a hurry to leave their native area and continue to use it. They can live close to where they were born and still minimize competition for the females of their clan.
The territories of single males can overlap by 72%; neighbors are often relatives. They practically do not defend their areas, with the exception of places where there is a lot of food. Thus, fruit-bearing trees can provoke short-term aggressive behavior. The territories of clans consisting of females and their immature offspring can overlap by 66%, with only the core territory being used exclusively by a given clan.
Risk of extinction of animals in an isolated population

PRESERVATION IN NATURE Many species of noses are not yet in danger of extinction - some of them are even classified as common animals. However, this is not to say that there is no cause for concern. One of the little-studied subspecies of nasua, Nasua nark a nclsoni (possibly an independent species), living on the island of Cozumel in Mexico, is threatened with destruction due to rapidly developing industry and tourism, and the mountain nosua (Nasuclla olivacca), whose range is limited to inaccessible high mountain areas in the Andes of western Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, has proven to be very sensitive to deforestation and human land use. They are currently classified by the IUCN as a species of uncertain status (not enough information.)

The South American nose (Nasua nasua) is found in tropical regions of South America, from Colombia and Venezuela to Uruguay, Ecuador and northern Argentina. On the eastern and western slopes of the Andes they are found up to 2500 meters above sea level. Within their range, they inhabit a variety of habitats, from scrubland to primary evergreen rain forest. They can be found in lowland forests, riverine woodlands, dense bushes and rocky areas. Thanks to human influence, they now prefer secondary forests and forest edges.

Body length reaches 73-136 cm; the average is 104.5 cm; tail length - 32-69 cm, shoulder height - about 30 cm. The South American nose weighs on average about 4.5 kg, but there are individuals up to 6 kg. Their body is covered with short, thick and fluffy fur. The South American nosoha is characterized by wide variability in color not only within its range, but even among babies from the same litter. Usually the body color changes from orange or reddish to dark brown. The tail of the nose is long, bicolored, it has light yellowish rings alternating with black or brown rings, sometimes the rings are faintly visible.

South American noses are usually active during the day, most of which they spend on the ground in search of food, while at night they sleep in trees, which also serve to make a den and give birth to offspring. When they are threatened by danger on the ground, they hide from it in the trees; when the enemy is on a tree, they easily jump from a branch of one tree to a lower branch on the same or even another tree. South American noses are not only good tree climbers and good swimmers. On the ground they walk slowly, although at short distances they can gallop, but they have never been observed to trot. Their average speed of movement is approximately 1 m per second.

South American noses themselves have a variety of enemies, but most of all they are annoyed by large wild cats: jaguars, pumas, ocelots, jaguarundis, as well as large birds of prey and boas. In nature, their life expectancy is 7-8 years, and the maximum life expectancy in captivity is 17 years and 8 months. South American noses, depending on gender and age, lead different lifestyles. So females live in groups of 4-20 or more individuals. Such a group includes several mature females, and the remaining members are their immature cubs. These groups are very mobile; the animals move around a lot in search of food.

Family groups live on their own territory, which is usually about 1 km. in diameter. The home ranges of different groups often overlap. South American noses have anal glands unique among Carnivora in their structure. They are a glandular area located along the upper edge of the anus, containing a series of bursae that are opened by four or five incisions along the sides. The fatty secretion secreted from these glands is used to mark territory, possibly in combination with urine. South American noses in such groups often participate in social grooming, and are more protected from enemies than solitary individuals. Females use barking vocalizations to alert members of a friendly clan to the presence of danger.

Males usually lead a solitary lifestyle and only during the mating season do they join family groups of females with young ones. During the mating season, which is usually from October to March, one male is accepted into the group of females and young ones. All mature females living in the group mate with this male, and soon after mating he leaves the group. The period of raising offspring is timed to coincide with the maximum abundance of food, in particular at the time of fruit ripening. Females after 74-77 days of pregnancy give birth 3-7; on average 5 cubs in dens, which they set up in well-protected, cozy tree hollows. At this time, the female leaves her social group. Here, in the nest, the newborn babies will remain until they are able to walk and climb trees.

Newborns are very helpless: they are hairless, blind and weigh only 75-80 g. Babies' eyes open at the age of about 10 days. At 24 days of age, noses can already walk and focus their eyes. Youngsters are able to climb at 26 days and completely switch to solid food at 4 months. At five to six weeks of age, the female and her young return to their family group. Females often make whimpering sounds to keep their young close to them during the weaning process. Mothers continue to nurse the young until they are finally weaned at about 4 months of age. Young females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at an average of 2 years of age, and males begin breeding at about 3 years of age.

South American moths are protected by Convention Sites III in Uruguay, but the main threats to this species are human encroachment and hunting. Currently, ten subspecies of Nasua nasua are recognized and described: N. n. boliviensis Cabrera, 1956. N. n. candace Tomas, 1912. N. n. dorsalis Gray, 1866. N. n. manium: Tomas, 1912. N. n. montana: Tschudi, 1845. N. n. nasua: Linnseus, 1766. N. n. Quichua: Tomas, 1901. N. n. solitaria: Schinz, 1821. N. n. spadicea: Olfers, 1818. N. n. vittata: Tschudi, 1845.

To warn the group of danger, females make barking sounds. And in order to keep the cubs near her, the female uses whimpering sounds. Life expectancy: In nature, 7-8 years. The maximum life expectancy in captivity reached 17 years and 8 months.

EUROPEAN NATURALISTS, who first saw the noses, based on the color of the coat and behavioral characteristics, identified almost 30 species of these animals, but modern taxonomists have reduced this number to 3. This is not surprising - the behavior and morphology of the noses are indeed extremely variable, even females and males behave so different that they could easily be mistaken for different species. These differences mainly concern the social behavior of noses: males lead a solitary lifestyle, while females live in well-organized groups - “clans”. The behavioral relationships of noses are very complex and include cooperation reminiscent of the socialization of primates; for example, clan members often groom each other, care for others' young, and work together to ward off predators.

The nose is easily recognized by its long, movable muzzle, the tip of which extends far beyond the lower jaw. Inside this long “nose” there are many sensitive receptors, thanks to which the animal distinguishes odors. Countless muscles give the nose special flexibility, which allows the nose to explore various recesses and grope for prey in them. Nosaus are active during the day, spending much of their time combing forest undergrowth and litter in search of food, ruffling leaves and hastily searching for invertebrates or fruit. Although nosus inhabit some arid regions, such as the southwestern part of the United States, they are more common in tropical forests.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE NOSUH CLAN Which animals are legal members of the Nosukh clan? One might assume that clans are formed on the basis of consanguinity, but genetic studies show that in fact they also include some unrelated individuals. Large-scale field studies conducted in Panama have shown that these unrelated moths are the most likely targets of aggression from other animals. They are pushed to the periphery of the clan's common territory, where there is a high risk of becoming a victim of a predator. They have to pay a high price for sociality. But the final analysis showed that it is still more profitable for the nosuhs to remain in the clan and receive some advantages from this, such as access to food, than to leave it and be left alone. Solitary males and social females

AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR In noses, the process of settlement proceeds unusually: females rarely leave the clan in which they were born, while males separate from it at the beginning of the third year of life, but they are not in a hurry to leave their native area and continue to use it. They can live close to where they were born while minimizing competition for the females of their clan. The territories of single males can overlap by 72%; neighbors are often relatives. They practically do not defend their areas, with the exception of places where there is a lot of food. Thus, fruit-bearing trees can provoke short-term aggressive behavior. The territories of clans consisting of females and their immature offspring can overlap by 66%, and only the core of the territory is used exclusively by this clan. Risk of extinction of animals in an isolated population

PRESERVATION IN NATURE Many species of noses are not yet in danger of extinction - some of them are even classified as common animals. However, this is not to say that there is no cause for concern. One of the little-studied subspecies of the moss, Nasua nark a nclsoni (possibly an independent species), living on the island of Cozumel in Mexico, is threatened with destruction due to rapidly developing industry and tourism, and the mountain moss (Nasuclla olivacca), whose range is limited to inaccessible high mountain areas in the Andes of western Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, has proven to be very sensitive to deforestation and human land use. They are currently classified by the IUCN as a species of uncertain status (not enough information.)