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Bassariscus Astutus (Ringtail Cat)

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Can you do the ring-tailed cat?

I haven't done it in a long while, sure!

Have you seen the ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onFeb 7

#north american wildlife #southwest US #mexico #ringtail #ringtail cat #mammalia #mammal #mammals #carnivora #procyonidae #animal polls #poll blog #my polls #animals #polls #tumblr polls

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villainous creature hanging around the mesa!!

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During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, miners throughout the western United States and Nevada discovered a biological solution to the rodent infestations that plagued their cabins and mine shafts. Rather than relying on traditional house cats, these frontiersmen began to socialize with the ringtail, a small and elusive member of the raccoon family. Because these nocturnal predators are exceptionally skilled hunters with a natural preference for mice and rats, they earned the enduring nickname of miner's cat.

Miners would often encourage a wild ringtail to take up residence by providing it with a simple wooden box for a daytime den. In exchange for a quiet place to sleep, the animal would emerge at night to hunt with far more efficiency than a domesticated cat. The ringtail's specialized anatomy, including hind feet that can rotate 180 degrees and the ability to shimmy up vertical crevices through chimney stemming, allowed it to pursue rodents into the most inaccessible parts of a mine. These animals were so highly valued for their pest control and surprisingly affectionate dispositions that they frequently became the primary companions for solitary miners living in remote canyons.

While the practice of keeping these "cats" faded as mining camps became established towns, the legacy of the relationship remains a significant part of southwestern history. The ringtail was eventually designated as the state mammal of Arizona in 1986, a title that honors its unique biological adaptations and its historical role in the development of the American West. Today, they remain one of the most successful but rarely seen predators in North America, continuing to inhabit the same abandoned mine shafts where their ancestors once worked alongside human miners.

#arizona #ringtail cat #mining