The vocal repertoire of white-nosed coatis: structural features, temporal dynamics, and social variations

For many group‑living species, vocal signals are a vital form of communication needed to coordinate social behaviours. Investigating these processes first requires a detailed description of the species’ vocal repertoire. White-nosed coatis (Nasua narica), which forage and move together in forest habitats, are thought to rely on acoustic communication to coordinate movements and maintain group cohesion. However, quantitative studies of their vocal repertoire are lacking. We examined the vocal repertoire of white-nosed coatis from wild populations in Panama and Arizona, USA, to gain a more comprehensive view of their vocal communication behaviour. By combining traditional acoustic analyses with an unsupervised approach based on spectrogram structure, we characterised the diversity of vocalisations in this species and described their temporal and structural features. We identified 19 acoustically distinct vocalisation types, with some vocalisations occurring in multi-syllable sequences or emitted in fast succession. We found variability in vocalisation rates among group members, which may be driven by differences in social status within the group. In addition, our results indicate that white-nosed coatis likely have individually recognisable calls. This study provides a foundational description of the white-nosed coati vocal repertoire, laying the groundwork for future research on vocal communication in this species.