Swarm of ‘curious’ creatures spotted running down road in Arizona park. See them

“Curious” critters were spotted swarming a road at an Arizona park, park rangers said.

The “cousin of the raccoon,” an animal called the coati, who is a “longtime resident of Arizona,” was seen playing in the roadway at Chiricahua National Monument, according to a Sept. 8 Facebook post by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Coati, known for their “strong nimble claws and keen intelligence,” according to the San Diego Zoo, are “always on the move” and often “snack on acorns,” rangers in Willcox said.

The video shows tiny coati along with larger ones running from one side of the road to the other, showing off their long tails and agile strides, rangers said.

The group most likely consisted of females and young, rangers said, as males tend to prefer the “solo life,” the post said.

The playful creatures are prey to foxes, jaguars, and even at times humans, but tend to eat insects, plants, roots and smaller vertebrates, the zoo said.

Park visitors usually see coati climbing and chasing, but because they tend to play near the roads, visitors are asked to “please drive carefully and follow posted speed limits,” rangers said.

Willcox is about a 200-mile drive southeast from Phoenix.

This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Swarm of ‘curious’ creatures spotted running down road in Arizona park. See them."