![]() ![]() Additionally, ringtails are remarkably agile climbers and can even rotate their hind paws 180 degrees to allow for headfirst vertical descents. In order to overcome water stress, ringtails are incredibly water efficient and produce very little liquid waste. Rather, they attempt to find shelter in rock crevices, hollow trees, logs, or beneath dense shrubs. Ringtails do not construct their own dens because they constantly change them every two to three days to avoid predators. Ringtails are nocturnal so that they are most active when the air is cooler and they rest during the heat of the day in their dens. Because these ecosystems are normally hot, arid areas with little available water during most seasons, ring-tailed cats are specially adapted to overcome these challenges. Ring-tailed cats often inhabit ecosystems such as oak forests, chaparral, deserts, and rocky canyons. Solely nocturnal, the ringtail is so elusive that biologists don’t really know if their populations are healthy or threatened in our region. It is native to the southwestern United States (including the Los Padres National Forest) and Mexico. The ring-tailed cat (or miner’s cat) is not actually a cat - rather, it is a small, fox-sized member of the raccoon family with a long, striped tail. The Ringail was officially designated as the State Mammal of Arizona in 1986.Ringtails are adept climbers. They also inhabit the desert regions of Northern Mexico and Baja California. But there are Ringtail species that extend into Texas, Kansas and Oregon. They primarily exist in the southwestern states of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and southeastern California. Besides, they can become very noisy at night by barking, hissing and growls. Some farmers and ranchers deem them pests because they attack chickens and invade fruit orchards. The primary predators of ringtails are fox, coyotes, bobcats and large owls. In the early days, miners and ranchers would let them have interior access to barns and cabins to control rat and mice populations. Ringtail cats sleep during daylight hours nesting in dens that may be located in rock crevices, hollow logs, brush piles and even in nearby buildings. If they are nesting near farms and ranches, they will invade chicken coops. Its diet primarily consists of a variety of small mammals, reptiles and birds but is supplemented with fruit and plant life. They are able to descend at steep angles by rotating their hind feet 180 degrees enabling firm grips and quick changes in direction.īeing nocturnal, they hunt at night with keen smell and eyesight. Ringtails are very skilled climbers as they scurry up and down canyon rocks, boulders, trees and even cactus. The female will bring them food to the den for the first 2 months at which time the little ones begin foraging for food with mom. It gives live birth after a gestation period of around 50 days. The Ringtail cat is mostly solitary choosing to be alone except during mating season between February and May. In the Phoenix area, you may be fortunate to experience them as you hike up the trail at Piestewa Peak during late evenings through the dark of night. Its usual habitat is desert regions and make their homes in hard to get places around rock piles, large boulder outcroppings and canyon walls. The Ringtail Cat is rarely seen because it is nocturnal, sleeping by day and hunting at night. Its long bushy tail has distinctive, alternating black and white rings from which it gets its name. This beautiful animal has a unique appearance that resembles a combined look of a small fox, a fluffy raccoon and yes, a domestic house cat. It actually belongs to the raccoon family. The Ringtail Cat is sleek and cunning and somewhat "cat-like" but is not a cat at all. ![]()
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