Ringtail

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Ringtail
Squaw-ringtail-28073.jpg
Ringtail in Phoenix, Arizona
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Bassariscus
Species:
B. astutus
Binomial name
Bassariscus astutus
(Lichtenstein, 1830)
Subspecies
  • Bassariscus a. astutus
  • Bassariscus a. arizonensis
  • Bassariscus a. flavus
  • Bassariscus a. yumanensis
  • Bassariscus a. nevadensis
Ring-tailed Cat area.png
Ring-tailed cat range

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 last of these can refer to B. sumichrasti . [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The ringtail is the state mammal of Arizona. [5]

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. [6]

Ringtail in tree in Zion N.P. Ringtail ZionFB edited.jpg
Ringtail in tree in Zion N.P.
Ringtail on Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona Ringtail2.jpg
Ringtail on Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona

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]

Skull of a ringtail Bassariscus astutus 02 MWNH 367.JPG
Skull of a ringtail

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]

Reproduction

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.

Range and habitat

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]

Diet

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]

Ecology

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.[ citation needed ] 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]

Tameability

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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coati</span> Variety of mammal

Coatis, also known as coatimundis, are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera Nasua and Nasuella. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. The name "coatimundi" comes from the Tupian languages of Brazil, where it means "lone coati". Locally in Belize, the coati is known as "quash".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Procyonidae</span> Family of mammals

Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It comprises the raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous.

<i>Procyon</i> (genus) Genus of carnivores

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals comprising three species commonly known as raccoons in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon, is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and less well known. Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of raccoons are the ring-tailed cats and cacomistles of genus Bassariscus, from which they diverged about 10 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinkajou</span> South American honeyeater (Potos flavus)

The kinkajou is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos and is also known as the "honey bear". Kinkajous are arboreal, a lifestyle they evolved independently; they are not closely related to any other tree-dwelling mammal group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert cottontail</span> Species of mammal

The desert cottontail, also known as Audubon's cottontail, is a New World cottontail rabbit, and a member of the family Leporidae. Unlike the European rabbit, they do not form social burrow systems, but compared with some other leporids, they are extremely tolerant of other individuals in their vicinity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cacomistle</span> Species of carnivore

The cacomistle, also spelled cacomixtle, is a nocturnal, arboreal and omnivorous member of the carnivoran family Procyonidae. Its preferred habitats are wet, tropical, evergreen woodlands and mountain forests, though seasonally it will venture into drier deciduous forests.

<i>Bassariscus</i> Genus of carnivores

Bassariscus is a genus in the family Procyonidae. There are two extant species in the genus: the ringtail or ring-tailed cat and the cacomistle. Genetic studies have indicated that the closest relatives of Bassariscus are raccoons, from which they diverged about 10 million years ago in the Tortonian Age of the Miocene. The two lineages of Bassariscus are thought to have separated after only another two million years, making it the extant procyonid genus with the earliest diversification. Later diversification in the genus in the Pliocene and Pleistocene saw the emergence of two extinct species, Bassariscus casei and Bassariscus sonoitensis, respectively. Due to the more digitigrade stance of their legs compared to the plantigrade stance of other members of Procyonidae, some taxonomies place the genus as a separate family, Bassaricidae.. The name is a Greek word for fox ("bassaris") with a Latinized diminutive ending ("-iscus"). The genus was named by Elliott Coues in 1887, having previously been described by Lichtenstein in 1830 under the name Bassaris. Coues proposed the word "bassarisk" as the English term for animals in this genus. Its habitat includes semi-arid areas in the southwestern United States, the whole of Mexico, as well as moist tropical forests in Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caniformia</span> Suborder of mammals

Caniformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "dog-like" carnivorans. They include dogs, bears, raccoons, and mustelids. The Pinnipedia are also assigned to this group. The center of diversification for the Caniformia is North America and northern Eurasia. Caniformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, the Feliformia, the center of diversification of which was in Africa and southern Asia.

<i>Chapalmalania</i> Extinct genus of procyonid mammals from South America

Chapalmalania is an extinct genus of procyonid from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia.

<i>Oxyaena</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Oxyaena is an extinct genus of placental mammals from extinct subfamily Oxyaeninae within extinct family Oxyaenidae, that lived in Europe, Asia and North America during the early Eocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cozumel raccoon</span> Species of critically endangered raccoon

The Cozumel raccoon is a critically endangered species of island raccoon endemic on Cozumel Island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It is sometimes also called the pygmy raccoon, dwarf raccoon, Cozumel Island raccoon, and Cozumel raccoon bear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The rock squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is native to Mexico and the Southwestern United States, including southern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, and the panhandle of Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black jackrabbit</span> Species of mammal

The black jackrabbit is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. Endemic to Mexico, its only known location is Espiritu Santo Island in the Gulf of California. The IUCN has listed this species as a "vulnerable species" because of its restricted range. This taxon is regarded by some authorities as being a subspecies of the black-tailed jackrabbit, found on the mainland of Mexico.

Ringtail, ring tail, or ring-tail may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesocarnivore</span> Organism that eats mostly animal tissue

A mesocarnivore is an animal whose diet consists of 50–70% meat with the balance consisting of non-vertebrate foods which may include insects, fungi, fruits, other plant material and any food that is available to them. Mesocarnivores are from a large family group of mammalian carnivores and vary from small to medium sized, which are less than fifteen kilograms. Mesocarnivores are seen today among the Canidae, Viverridae (civets), Mustelidae, Procyonidae, Mephitidae (skunks), and Herpestidae. The red fox is also the most common of the mesocarnivores in Europe and has a high population density in the areas they reside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of California</span> Flora and fauna of the US state of California

The fauna of the State of California may be the most diverse in the United States of America. Of the Lower 48 conterminous states, California has the greatest diversity in climate, terrain and geology in general. The state's six life zones are the lower Sonoran (desert); upper Sonoran ; transition ; and the Canadian, Hudsonian, and Arctic zones, comprising California's highest elevations. California’s diverse geography gives rise to dozens of different ecosystems, each of which has its own unique native plants and animals. California is a huge state, the 3rd largest in the U.S., and can range broadly in habitat type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra de los Agustinos</span>

Sierra de los Agustinos is a mountain range in Guanajuato state of central Mexico. The range is a protected natural area, and provides water, firewood, recreation for the surrounding region.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Reid, F.; Schipper, J. & Timm, R. (2016). "Bassariscus astutus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41680A45215881. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41680A45215881.en . Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  2. ↑ Jirik, Kate. "LibGuides: North American Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) Fact Sheet: Taxonomy & History". ielc.libguides.com. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "cacomistle | mammal | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ Goldberg, Jeffrey. "Bassariscus astutus (ringtail)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ State mammal. Arizona State Library, Archives, & Public Records (Report). State of Arizona. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Ring-tailed Cat - Bassariscus astutus". Desert USA. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  7. ↑ Lu, Julie. "The Biogeography of Ringtailed Cats". San Francisco University. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  8. ↑ Gilbert, Bil. (2000). "Ringtails". Smithsonian. pp. 65–70. Retrieved April 2, 2015– via ProQuest.
  9. ↑ Poglayen-Neuwall, Ivo; Toweill, Dale E. (1988). "Bassariscus astutus" (PDF). Mammalian Species (327): 1–8. doi:10.2307/3504321. JSTOR   3504321.
  10. 1 2 3 Hunter, Luke (2011). Carnivores of the World. Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691152288.
  11. ↑ Stangl, Frederick B.; Henry- Langston, Sarah; Lamar, Nicholas; Kasper, Stephen (2014). "Sexual dimorphism in the ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) from Texas". Natural Science Research Laboratory. 328.
  12. 1 2 Gustafson, Eric Paul (May 2015). "Bassariscusfrom the Early Pliocene of Washington". Northwest Science. 89 (2): 129–135. doi:10.3955/046.089.0204. ISSN   0029-344X. S2CID   83532330.
  13. ↑ Barja, Isabel; List, Rurik (December 1, 2006). "Faecal marking behaviour in ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) during the non-breeding period: Spatial characteristics of latrines and single faeces". Chemoecology. 16 (4): 219–222. doi:10.1007/s00049-006-0352-x. ISSN   0937-7409. S2CID   7959174.
  14. ↑ Barja, I.; List, R. (2006). "Faecal marking behaviour in ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) during the non-breeding period: Spatial characteristics of latrines and single faeces". Chemoecology. 16 (4): 219–222. doi:10.1007/s00049-006-0352-x. S2CID   7959174.
  15. ↑ Schoenherr, Allen A. (1992). A Natural History of California. University of California Press. p. 386. ISBN   9780520909915.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ↑ North Bank Habitat Management Area/ACEC, Oregon: Environmental Impact Statement. 2000.
  17. 1 2 3 Gilbert, Bil. (2000). "Ringtails". Smithsonian. pp. 65–70. Retrieved April 2, 2015– via ProQuest.
  18. ↑ Lewellen, Greg T. "Bassariscus astutus (Ringtail)". Mammalogy. West Texas A&M University. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)". nsrl.ttu.edu. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  20. ↑ Rodríguez-Estrella, Ricardo; Rodríguez Moreno, Angel; Grajales Tam, Karina (February 2000). "Spring diet of the endemic ring-tailed cat (Bassariscus astutus insulicola) population on an island in the Gulf of California, Mexico". Journal of Arid Environments. 44 (2): 241–246. Bibcode:2000JArEn..44..241R. doi:10.1006/jare.1999.0579.
  21. ↑ "Ring-tailed cat". Los Padres Forest-Watch. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  22. ↑ Sumner, Lowell (1953). "Ringtails in Redwood Park". Birds and Mammals of the Sierra Nevada: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. University of California Press. p. 306.
  23. ↑ Reid, F.A. (2006). Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America (4th ed.). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 454–455.

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