Ringtail

Ringtail Tracks

Natural History of Ringtails

ringtail

The ringtail is commonly called the ringtail cat, but it is not a cat. It has also been called miner’s cat, coon cat, cacomistle, or civet cat.

Ringtails are related to raccoons. This nocturnal animal is very secretive and seldom seem.

It has a fox-like face and a ringed tail like a raccoon. The ringtail’s tail is longer than that of the raccoon. It has large eyes that help it see well at night.

Ringtails are very agile and have sharp claws which enable them to climb trees and even scale walls.

They hunt by night, pouncing on their prey from ambush. The ringtail primarily eats small rodents, but will also consume fruit, berries, small animals, bats, birds, insects, and acorns. Ringtails spend the day in a den which is often lined with soft moss, leaves, or grass.

Young, usually two to four per litter, are born in May or June. Their eyes do not open for 30 days. Parents bring them food in the nest.

Tracks show five toes on the front foot and five toes on the hind foot. Claws do not usually show in the tracks.

Personal Notes on Ringtails

Find ringtail posters, greeting cards, t-shirts, hats, and more in my new store.

Now available: "Animals Don't Cover Their Tracks - An Introduction to Animal Tracking" on CD! (Version 3.0) New drawings, more species, more photos, more extensive sections on tracking humans, more detailed directions for plaster casting, mystery tracks section, tracking stories section, and more. The CD features over 100 species, including special bonus sections with the tracks of some African and Australian animals. A large section on tracking lost people for search and rescue is included, with over four pages of photos showing the details of tracks and signs people leave. Easy to use format. This web site is limited by bandwidth, but the CD-ROM is not. The CD is available in my online store at: www.dirt-time.com  Works with Mac or PC. Happy tracking!!

What else can you find in the nature store? Beartracker's animal tracks coloring book, T-shirts, sweatshirts, journals, book bags, toddler and infant apparel, mouse pads, posters, postcards, coffee mugs, travel mugs, clocks, Frisbees, bumper stickers, hats, stickers, and many more items. All with tracks or paw  prints, or nature scenes. Custom products are available. If you don't see the track you want on the product you want, email me and I can probably create it. Proceeds from all sales go to pay the monthly fees for this web site. You can help support this site as well as get great tracking products! Thank you!

 

Find other tracking products: www.zazzle.com/tracker8459*

 

Also visit these fine stores for more products of interest:

NDN Pride shop - For Indian Pride items for all tribes. Custom items available on request.

ASL Signs of Love - For anyone who uses or is learning ASL, American Sign Language. Custom name items and more are available here.

Sales from all stores give commissions to Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den, which helps keep this site online as a free service. We are celebrating ten years online this year!

 

prints prints

Got a ringtail story? E-mail me and tell me about it.

tracker@humboldt.net

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Copyright © 1997-2008. Text and drawings by Kim A. Cabrera