Functional morphology of the female genital organs in the wild ring-tailed coati (Nasua nasua) in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

This study examines the functional morphology of genital organs of 45 wild female ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua (L., 1766)) in the Peruvian Amazon. The coati shows a seasonal reproductive pattern, with a concentration of births between January and March. The pregnancy rate during the reproductive season was 64.7%. Mean litter size was 4.2 fetuses and mean ovulation rate was 4.5 follicles per pregnant female, resulting in a low rate of embryo or oocyte mortality of 9.8%. The observed vaginal pattern in our study suggests that vaginal cytology could be a useful indicator for the phase of estrus. The present evaluation provides reproductive information that may be a key component in the development of management strategies for both captive and wild coati populations.