Ringtails are omnivorous, but show a dietary preference for animal matter. Specific dietary items are largely selected as a function of their seasonal abundance. Principal animal matter food items include rodents, rabbits, squirrels, and insects, however, birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, and carrion are also eaten. Plant matter eaten includes acorns, mistletoe, juniper berries, persimmons, wild figs and other fruits. When available, B. astutus will also feed on nectar (Poglayen-Neuwall 1988,1990; Kuban and Schwartz, 1985).
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles; carrion ; insects
Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; flowers
Primary Diet: omnivore
When threatened, a ringtail will bristle the hair on its tail, arching the tail over its back towards its head, and thereby making itself appear larger. If captured, it screams a high pitched, penetrating sound and discharges a pungent, foul smelling secretion from the anal glands (Poglayen-Neuwall 1988,1990).
Known Predators:
Body mass of both sexes from throughout the geographic range of Bassariscus astutus ranges from 824 to 1,338 g. Head and body length is 305 to 420 mm and tail length is 310 to 441 mm. Shoulder height is about 160 mm. The upper body is buffy in color with a dark brown wash, and the underparts are a pale buff. The tail is bushy and has black and white rings (hence the common name of the species), much like a raccoon. The eyes are ringed by black or dark brown and set within buffy patches. The body is cat-like with a fox-like face and large oval ears. The claws of these animals are semi-retractable. The dental formula is: i 3/4, c 1/1, p 3/4, m 3/2 for a total of 40 teeth. The canines are well developed (Nowak, 1999; Poglayen-Neuwal, 1988).
Range mass: 824 to 1,338 g.
Range length: 305 to 420 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
The life expectancy of ringtails is about 7 years in the wild. A female kept in captivity reached the age of 16 (Poglayen-Neuwall 1988).
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 16 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 7 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 14.3 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 16.0 years.
Ringtails can be found at elevations of up to 2900 m but are most common at elevations ranging from sea level to 1400 m. Ringtails utilize a variety of habitats. They prefer habitats with rocky outcroppings, canyons, or talus slopes and can be found in semi-arid country, deserts, chaparral, oak woodlands, pinyon pine woodlands, juniper woodlands and montane conifer forests. They also inhabit riparian habitats due to the increased food availability (Poglayen-Neuwall, 1988; 1990).
Range elevation: 0 to 2900 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; chaparral ; forest ; scrub forest ; mountains
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Bassariscus astutus can be found from southwestern Oregon and eastern Kansas south through California, southern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Oaklahoma, Texas, Baja California and northern Mexico. Outlying records in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Ohio are likely the result of a ringtail habit of boarding railroad cars and being transplanted as a result (Nowak, 1999).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
An important mid-size carnivore, the ringtail can help keep rodent populations under control.
Ringtails are sometimes harvested for their fur, however, the coat is not of a very high quality and is generally used as trim only. In the 1976-77 trapping season, the United States produced 88,329 pelts, which sold for an average price of $5.50. The harvest of these animals peaked at about 135,000 in 1978-79 and has since declined. In the 1991-92 season only 5,638 skins were taken, and their average price was$3.62. Although ringtails now have protection in many states, many fall victim to traps set for other furbearing animals (Nowak, 1999; Poglayen-Neuwall, 1988).
Ringtails cause little economic damage. Occasional domestic poultry are taken and an occasional orchard tree is plundered (Nowak, 1999; Poglayen-Neuwall, 1988).
Negative Impacts: crop pest
This species has no special conservation status.
US Migratory Bird Act: no special status
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Ringtails have a variety of vocalizations. Adults can emit an explosive bark, a piercing scream, and a long, high-pitched call. Infants vocalize with metallic chirps, squeaks, and wimpers. Scent seems to be as important as vocalizations for communication within the species. B. astutus scent marks its home range territory by rubbing urine on the ground and on raised objects. During the mating season, ringtails increase their marking activity to attract a mate and deter competitors of the same sex (Nowak, 1999; Poglayen-Neuwall, 1988). It is likely that there is tactile communication between a mother and her offspring, as well as between mates.
Communication Channels: tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: scent marks
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Living Bassariscus species are hardly dishtinguishable from Neocene forms. Hence, ringtails are sometimes called living fossils. The scientific name, Bassariscus astutus, is derived from bassar (fox), isc (little), and astut (cunning), cunning little fox. In Mexico, ringtails are often called "cacomistles" derived from the language of the Aztecs. In spanish, it means "nimble thief". Ringtails were sometimes kept about the homes of early American settlers and in prospectors' camps as companions and mousers, hence the name "miner's cat." They are reported to make fairly good pets if obtained while young.
The mating system of these procyonids has not been reported.
Female ringtails are undergo a single estrous cycle in a season, usually mating from February to May. Heat usually lasts from 24 to 36 hours. The gestation period is short among the Procyonidae, and ranges from 51 to 54 days. Birth usually occurs in May or June with a litter size ranging from one to four.
Females choose a den in a rock crevice, boulder pile, or tree hollow in which they bear their young. Newborns are altricial with a mass of 25 g. Neonates open their eyes around one month of age. The young can take solid food at 30 to 40 days of age and are weaned at about 10 weeks. The female is mainly responsible for care, and forages with her young beginning when they are about 2 months old. The father is sometimes tolerated and may play with the young as they grow older. Ringtails reach sexual maturity in both sexes near 10 months of age (Poglayen-Neuwall, 1990).
Breeding season: Breeding season occurs from February to May.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 5.
Range gestation period: 51 to 54 days.
Average weaning age: 10 weeks.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 10 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 10 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 30 g.
Average number of offspring: 3.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 300 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 300 days.
Females are known to care for the young. They nurse the young for 10-12 weeks, and allow the young to accompany them when they forage. Males have been known to play with older offspring, and so may play some role in parental care, although no more than this has been documented.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male, Female)
The ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) is a mammal of the raccoon family native to arid regions of North America. It is widely distributed and well adapted to disturbed areas. It has been legally trapped for its fur. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.[1] The species is known by variety of different names, such as ring-tailed cat, miner's cat, civet cat, and cacomistle (or cacomixtle), though the latter can refer to B. sumichrasti.[2][3][4]
The ringtail is the state mammal of Arizona.[5]
The ringtail is black to dark brown in color with pale underparts. The animal has a pointed muzzle with long whiskers, similar to that of a fox (its Latin name means ‘clever little fox’) and its body resembles that of a cat. The ringtailed's face resembles a mask as dark brown and black hair surround its eyes.[6]
These animals are characterized by a long black and white "ringed" tail with 14–16 stripes,[7] which is about the same length as its body.
Ringtails are primarily nocturnal, with large eyes and upright ears that make it easier for them to navigate and forage in the dark. An adept climber, it uses its long tail for balance. The rings on its tail can also act as a distraction for predators. The white rings act as a target, so when the tail rather than the body is caught, the ringtail has a greater chance of escaping.[8]
The claws are short, straight, and semi-retractable, well-suited for climbing.[9]
Smaller than a house cat, it is one of the smallest extant procyonids (only the smallest in the olingo species group average smaller). Its body alone measures 30–42 cm (12–17 in) and its tail averages 31–44 cm (12–17 in) from its base. It typically weighs around 0.7 to 1.5 kg (1.5 to 3.3 lb).[10]
Its dental formula is 3.1.4.23.1.4.2 = 40.[11]
The ankle joint is flexible and is able to rotate over 180 degrees, making the animal an agile climber. The long tail provides balance for negotiating narrow ledges and limbs, even allowing individuals to reverse directions by performing a cartwheel. Ringtails also can ascend narrow passages by stemming (pressing all feet on one wall and their back against the other or pressing both right feet on one wall and both left feet on the other), and wider cracks or openings by ricocheting between the walls.[12]
As adults, these mammals lead solitary lives, generally coming together only to mate. A typical call is a very loud, plaintive bark. They produce a variety of sounds, including clicks and chatters reminiscent of raccoons.
Ringtails have been reported to exhibit fecal marking behavior as a form of intraspecific communication to define territory boundaries or attract potential mates.[13] It has been suggested that ringtails use feces as a way to mark territory. In 2003, a study in Mexico City found that ringtails tended to defecate in similar areas in a seemingly nonrandom pattern, mimicking that of other carnivores that utilized excretions to mark territories.[14]
Ringtails prefer a solitary existence but may share a den or be found mutually grooming one another. They exhibit limited interaction except during the breeding season, which occurs in the early spring. Ringtails can survive for long periods on water derived from food alone, and have urine which is more concentrated than any other mammal studied, an adaptation that allows for maximum water retention.[15]
Ringtails mate in the spring. The gestation period is 45–50 days, during which the male will procure food for the female. There will be 2–4 kits in a litter. The cubs open their eyes after one month, and will hunt for themselves after four months. They reach sexual maturity at 10 months. The ringtail's lifespan in the wild is about seven years.
The ringtail is commonly found in rocky desert habitats, where it nests in the hollows of trees or abandoned wooden structures. It has been found throughout the Great Basin Desert, which stretches over several states (Nevada, Utah, California, Idaho, and Oregon) as well as the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico. The ringtail also prefers rocky habitats associated with water, such as the riparian canyons, caves, or mine shafts.[16]
In areas with a bountiful source of water, as many as 50 ringtails/sq. mile (20/km²) have been found. Ranging from 50 to 100 acres (20 to 40 ha), the territories of male ringtails occasionally intersect with several females.[17]
The ringtail is found in the southwestern United States in southern Oregon, California, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, southern Nevada, Utah, Louisiana[18] and Texas. In Mexico it ranges from the northern desert state of Baja California to Oaxaca. Its distribution overlaps that of B. sumichrasti in the Mexican states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Veracruz.[1]
Fossils assigned to B. astutus dating back to the early Pliocene epoch have been found as far north as Washington.[12]
Two ringtails
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Ringtail den
Ringtail in Phoenix, Arizona
Bassaris astuta print from Iconographia Zoologica (1700–1880)
Small vertebrates such as passerine birds, rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits, snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads are the most important foods during winters.[10] However, the ringtail is omnivorous, as are all procyonids. Berries and insects are important in the diet year-round, and become the primary part of the diet in spring and summer, along with other fruit.[19]
As an omnivore the ringtail enjoys a variety of foods in its diet, the majority of which is made up of animal matter. Insects and small mammals such as rabbits, mice, rats and ground squirrels are some examples of the ringtail's carnivorous tendencies. Occasionally the ringtail will also eat fish, lizards, birds, snakes and carrion. The ringtail also enjoys juniper, hack and black berries, persimmon, prickly pear, and fruit in general. They have even been observed partaking from birdseed feeders, hummingbird feeders, sweet nectar or sweetened water.[17]
The results of a study of scat from ringtails on Isla San José, Baja California Sur, showed that the ringtail tended to prey on whatever was most abundant during each respective season. During the spring the ringtail's diet consisted largely of insects, showing up in about 50% of the analyzed feces. Small rodents, snakes, and some lizards were also present. Plant matter was presented in large amounts, around 59% of the collected feces contained some type of plant, with fruits of Phaulothamnus, Lycium, and Solanum most common. The large amount of ironwood seeds and leaves demonstrated that these fleshy fruits were an obvious favorite of the ringtail.[20]
Foxes, coyotes, raccoons, bobcats, hawks, and owls opportunistically prey upon ringtails of all ages, though predominantly on younger, more vulnerable specimens.[10] Also occasional prey to coatis, lynxes, and mountain lions, the ringtail is rather adept at avoiding predators. The ringtail's success in deterring potential predators is largely attributed to its ability to excrete musk when startled or threatened. The main predators of the ringtail are the great horned owl and the red-tailed hawk.[17]
Ringtails have occasionally been hunted for their pelts, but the fur is not especially valuable. Fur trapping has slowed down considerably, but current population sizes and growth rates remain unclear.[21]
Ringtail are said to be easily tamed / habituated to humans, and can make an affectionate pet and effective mouser. Miners and settlers once kept pet ringtails to keep their cabins free of vermin; hence, the common name of "miner's cat".[22][23]
The ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) is a mammal of the raccoon family native to arid regions of North America. It is widely distributed and well adapted to disturbed areas. It has been legally trapped for its fur. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species is known by variety of different names, such as ring-tailed cat, miner's cat, civet cat, and cacomistle (or cacomixtle), though the latter can refer to B. sumichrasti.
The ringtail is the state mammal of Arizona.
