Coatis and Raccoons in Manuel Antonio
Coatis and raccoons are cousins in the raccoon family, and SINAC lists both among the outstanding animals of Manuel Antonio National Park. The white-nosed coati forages on the forest floor by day; raccoons come out mostly at night, often near water and beaches. Both are clever, both learn quickly where people leave food, and that is exactly why they should never be fed.
Which species live here
Travel Guide › Wildlife › Coatis and raccoons
- White-nosed coati (Nasua narica), called pizote in Costa Rica.
- Northern raccoon (Procyon lotor), mapache. The park’s management plan names it among the more common mammals in the park.
- Crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), also mapache. It appears in the park’s mammal list too.
All three belong to the family Procyonidae, as does the kinkajou (Potos flavus, martilla), which the management plan says is seen less often in the park.
Coati or raccoon? A quick check
- Time of day: a ringed-tail animal walking around in daylight is most likely a coati. Raccoons are mainly nocturnal.
- Snout: the coati’s is long, pointed and flexible. The raccoon’s is shorter.
- Face: raccoons have a black “bandit” mask. Coatis have white marks on the snout, above and below the eyes and on the cheeks.
- Tail: both are ringed, but a coati’s tail is very long and often held straight up as it walks.
White-nosed coati
Identification
A long-bodied animal of 80 to 130 cm, more than half of it tail. The coat is grayish brown with silvery grizzling on the arms. The snout is long, pointed and flexible, with a white band near the end, and there are white spots above and below each eye and on each cheek. The long tail has black rings and is held upright when walking. The front feet have curved claws for digging (Animal Diversity Web).
Habitat and behavior
Coatis live in many habitats, from tropical lowlands to high dry forest. They are mostly active by day, foraging on the ground, and they sleep in the treetops at night, safer from predators. Adult males live alone. Females and young males up to about two years old travel in bands of 4 to 20, groom one another and look after each other’s young. A band’s home range is roughly a kilometer across, and coatis may walk up to 2 km a day looking for food (Animal Diversity Web).
Diet
Mostly insects and other small animals. Coatis keep their snouts close to the ground and sniff out beetles, spiders, scorpions, ants, termites, grubs, centipedes and even land crabs. They eat fruit when it is plentiful and sometimes catch mice, lizards or frogs.
Ecological role
By turning over leaf litter and eating large numbers of insects and other invertebrates, coatis are one of the forest floor’s busiest predators. In turn they are food for wild cats, boas and large birds of prey.
Conservation status
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2016).
Northern and crab-eating raccoons
Identification
Animal Diversity Web gives a clear way to separate the two raccoons:
- Crab-eating raccoon: smaller, about 3 to 7 kg and 54 to 65 cm long plus the tail. It looks thinner because it lacks the dense underfur of its northern cousin. The fur on the back is a fairly even brown, the fur on the neck slants forward toward the head, and the black mask fades out behind the eyes.
- Northern raccoon: larger and heavier, with a grizzled coat and a mask that reaches almost to the ears.
Habitat and behavior
Both raccoons use a variety of habitats, including primary and regrowing forest. The crab-eating raccoon keeps closer to water: swamps, lagoons and ocean beaches. Raccoons are nocturnal, see well in the dark and have a remarkable sense of touch in their hands, which they use to handle and “wash” food. Animal Diversity Web notes they learn quickly and can remember what they have learned for up to a year.
Diet
Omnivores. The crab-eating raccoon eats a lot of fruit, plus crabs and other crustaceans, insects and other invertebrates, fish, frogs and small turtles, changing its diet with the season.
Ecological role
As predators of crabs, insects and small animals, and as prey for larger predators, raccoons are one of the links between the forest, the mangroves and the shore.
Conservation status
- Northern raccoon: Least Concern (IUCN, assessed 2016).
- Crab-eating raccoon: Least Concern (IUCN, assessed 2016).
What happens when coatis and raccoons get fed
Manuel Antonio has studied this problem for decades. The national park’s management plan cites research from the early 1990s by Carrillo and Vaughan on behavioral changes in raccoons caused by tourist visitation, and warns that capuchins, raccoons and coatis were changing their activity patterns and feeding habits because of contact with visitors. A later study summarized in the plan listed raccoons among the animals involved in conflicts with visitors along the Perezoso trail and on Playa Manuel Antonio.
SINAC’s rules are clear: feeding wild animals is prohibited, food and drinks are not allowed into the park except under the park administration’s exceptions, and food from the concession must be eaten in the designated area. SINAC also asks visitors not to leave food where animals can reach it, and notes that certain foods can seriously affect animals’ health and behavior.
A raccoon or coati that expects food from people gets bolder: it opens bags, tears into trash and hangs around beaches and restaurants. That is bad for the animal and a nuisance for everyone else.
How to share the trail with them
- Never feed them, not even scraps, and don’t leave food or trash where they can reach it.
- Keep bags closed and with you on the beach. Use the park’s lockers for anything you won’t carry (see our national park guide).
- Give them room. If a coati band comes along the trail, step aside and let it pass. Don’t corner an animal or block its path.
- Don’t touch them. SINAC asks visitors not to touch wild animals. Even a calm-looking coati has sharp, curved claws.
- At night, keep your light low and brief, and off the animal’s eyes.
Where visitors may encounter them
Sightings are never certain. These are the settings where each animal is most likely to turn up.
- Coatis: on the forest floor and along trail edges in daylight, often in a moving band with tails up. Manuel Antonio National Park is a good place to watch for them; check opening days and rules in our national park guide.
- Raccoons: around dusk and after dark, near streams, mangroves and beaches. The park itself closes in the afternoon (per SINAC), so most raccoon activity happens after visitors have left. Raccoons can also turn up by day where they have learned to expect food: the park study mentioned above recorded them in conflicts with visitors on Playa Manuel Antonio.
- With a guide: a naturalist guide will know where coati bands have been foraging. ECOTICA‘s concierge can book a guided park walk through our wildlife and nature tours.
More wildlife guides: wildlife in Manuel Antonio, monkeys and reptiles and iguanas. Families might also like our family-friendly activities.
Sources and further reading
- SINAC – Manuel Antonio National Park (official page, English)
- SINAC – Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (página oficial: horario, tarifas, servicios, recomendaciones)
- SINAC – Plan General de Manejo, Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio 2013–2018 (PDF; species lists, habitats, visitor impacts)
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) – White-nosed coati (Nasua narica)
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) – Crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus)
- IUCN Red List – Nasua narica: Least Concern (assessed 2016)
- IUCN Red List – Procyon lotor: Least Concern (assessed 2016)
- IUCN Red List – Procyon cancrivorus: Least Concern (assessed 2016)
Last reviewed: September 2026. Conservation categories come from the IUCN Red List assessment shown next to each name; categories can change when species are reassessed. Park rules and opening details belong to SINAC, so check its official page before you go.
