Ringtail
species of mammal
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 its distributed areas. It has been legally trapped for its fur. Globally, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List but is a Conservation Strategy Species in Oregon and Fully Protected in California. The ringtail is the state mammal of Arizona.
The species is known by a variety of common names, such as ring-tailed cat, miner's cat, civet cat, and cacomistle (or cacomixtle), though as a relative of the raccoon, the ringtail is only distantly related to Feliform true cats and civets, and "cacomistle" can also refer to B. sumichrasti.
Description
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 ringtail's face resembles a mask as dark brown and black hair surround its eyes.
These animals are characterized by a long black and white "ringed" tail with 14–16 stripes, which is about the same length as its body.
The public source identifies “Ringtail” as species of mammal. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Ringtail, species and mammal.
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Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q632701.
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This entry incorporates text from “Ringtail” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.