.: Ellie the Coatimundi

I thought I would formally introduce everyone to each animal ambassador we have with us, and tell you all the awesome facts that we love to tell the kids, as well as try and explain each animals' individual personalities.

Ellie loves to be on our shoulders.

The first animal on the list is Ellie the Coatimundi, although in the program she is the second to last one to come out. Ellie is special in many different ways. One minute she is stirring up trouble in every way possible, and the next minute she is cuddling sweetly with us as if it never happened.

Here comes trouble!

First I'm going to tell you all of our awesome coatimundi facts that the kids hear every day.

They live in South, Central and parts of North America.
They are a cousin of the raccoon, you can see this by their ringed tail and bandit face.
They are omnivores, but spend most of their time grubbing around on the rainforest floor in search of insects.
Their long pointy nose actually has a bone in the end of it, making it possible for them to move their nose independently.
Their long tail is not prehensile (meaning it acts as a fifth limb and they can hang from it), but they do use it when they are in groups by sticking it up in the air so everyone can see each other in long grass.
The females are dominant and run in social groups together, while the larger males only visit for two weeks out of the year during mating season.

Ellie showing off for the kids.

When people first discovered them, they thought the males were a different species than the females because they were so much bigger and solitary. They called the females "coatis" and the males "coatimundis" meaning "lone coatis".
When climbing down from trees they prefer climbing down head first, so to help out with this they can actually turn their back ankles 180 degrees around and climb down that way.
Females socially groom each other.
They walk plantigrade just like humans, which means on the bottom of their foot, instead of on their toes.
Their darker camoflauge helps them remain hidden on the forest floor.

As cool as all those facts are, I feel like they don't even begin to describe Ellie's individual personality. To sum it all up, we came up with a list of rules that Ellie seems to live by.

She loves to bat at your hands like a cat.

The World through Ellie's Eyes

If it's yours, it's MINE.
If it's mine, it's MINE.
Fruitloops!?!?!?!
Oh I like your hair....it's mine!
My nose turns corners before I do.
Before it's ok to officially stay in any hotel room, I must first inspect every corner of the room.
It is also my duty and right to inspect every corner and pocket of both Jess and Amber's suitcases, without notice.
Fruitloops!??!!!?!?
Don't even think about giving me my biscuits without a full dish of water, because I need to dip and wash each biscuit until they are the perfect texture.
Love chomps!

10. I bite because I care.
Your nose, eyes and ears are all really interesting and a great place to stick my nose. Just stay calm and no one will get bit.
Fruitloops?!?!?!?!!
When traveling in the van I like to stick my paws out and hold your hand, just so I know you're still there.
I chirp until I get my way, I bite until I get my way. So....I'm going to get my way.
Chaos is my friend.