Eastern Mountain Coati

The eastern mountain coati, also called the eastern dwarf coati (Nasuella meridensis), is a small member of the raccoon family Procyonidae found in the cloud forests and paramo of the Andes of western Venezuela, at elevations of about 2,000 to 4,000 metres. Until 2009 it was counted as a subspecies of the western mountain coati, but it is smaller overall, has somewhat shorter tails on average, much smaller teeth, a paler olive-brown coat and usually a dark stripe down the middle of the back. After the split the IUCN rated it Endangered, though a later genetic analysis suggested it may belong within Nasuella olivacea, so its status as a separate species is contested. The physical differences are thought to reflect a geographic gap at the Colombian and Venezuelan border.