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| Raccoon or Ringtail? |
The common but elusive Ringtail or Ringtail Cat (Bassariscus astutus) is not a cat at all, but a member of the Procyonidae Family and a close relative of the Northern Raccoon. The origins of its scientific name comes from bassar or ‘fox’, isc or ‘little’, and astute or ‘cunning’. In Texas, it is found mostly in the Trans-Pecos, the Edwards Plateau, and the Cross Timbers regions.
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| An adult Ringtail on our back porch railing. |
While ringtails are cat-sized mammals, their face is fox-like with a pointed snout, their body is elongated, and their tail resembles a raccoon. The ears are large, and their big, dark eyes are each surrounded by a patch of light-colored fur. The fur on their body is buff to brown-colored above and whitish below, with a spectacularly bushy, ringed tail. This tail is often longer than their body, and is marked by a series of 14 to 16 alternating black and white rings (black rings incomplete on the underside) with a black tip.
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| Close-up of the face of a Ringtail. |
Mainly nocturnal but sometimes seen at dawn and dusk (crepuscular), ringtails are roving, solitary mammals that come together only to mate. Their breeding season starts in late February and continues to mid-April, and females are in heat for only one 24-hour period during this time. In early May to mid-June 2 to 4 cubs are born fuzzy, white-haired, and with a tail that is not yet colored with the distinctive black and white bands. The cubs open their eyes at one month, and at four months begin hunting for rodents, insects, lizards, birds, and berries. Ringtails are quite vocal, especially the young, and will make a variety of sounds including squeaks, chatters, grunts, growls, and hisses, with the typical call being a loud, plaintive bark. In the wild, ringtails live an average of seven years.
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| This Ringtail is eating sunflower seed that has fallen out of our bird feeders. |
Ringtails can be found in our oak-juniper woodlands that have rocky areas associated with water, including riparian canyons and caves, limestone cliffs, and sometimes in man-made structures like mine shafts. They can den in tree hollows, rock crevices, other animals’ abandoned burrows, and even seldom-used spaces in buildings. They roam frequently, rarely spending more than three straight nights in one den. Interestingly, the ankle joint of the Ringtail is very flexible and is able to rotate over 180 degrees, which makes them very agile climbers. By pressing their feet against one wall and their back against the opposite wall, or by pressing both right feet against one wall and both left feet against the opposite wall, they are able to ‘stem’ or ascend/descend narrow passageways and wide cracks in the rock. Their strong tail can provide balance for negotiating narrow ledges and limbs, and even allows them to reverse direction by performing a cartwheel!
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| Getting access to our bird bath is an easy feat for the agile Ringtail! |
Ringtails have many other common names, including Miner’s Cat, as they were often kept by miners and settlers as pets, to keep their cabin free of mice. A hole was cut in a small box that was placed near a stove or fireplace, which acted as a dark, warm place for them to sleep during the day, and they returned the favor at night, hunting mice and keeping them and other rodents at bay. In the native language of the Nahuatl Indians of Mexico, ringtails were called cacomistle, which is derived from the word tlahcomiztli meaning ‘half mountain lion.’ Whatever you call them, consider yourself lucky should you spot one of these beautiful, timid, and rarely seen nocturnal mammals!
