Longevity research is expanding to include another species of animal, namely the South American Coati. The coati is suitable for this research, given that neither the life expectancy of this species has yet been described, nor have longevity-related genes been found.

In collaboration with all zoos in the world breeding coatis, the life span of at least 100 individuals will first be determined so that the data is statistically significant. For this purpose, we need to know the date of birth, date of death and cause of death, if known for each individual. The data will then be used to determine the median survival time and other parameters such as interquartile range. Buccal swabs for DNA isolation will be performed on long-lived individuals of the coatis. The same procedure will also be carried out for the control group.

If longevity-related genes are found, these genes will be used as markers for longevity, which would allow targeted crosses between individuals carrying longevity-related genes. This could create a longevity line in which animals live to a much older age.