Editing Ringtail (section)

==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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ring-tailed Cat - ''Bassariscus astutus'' |website=Desert USA |url=https://www.desertusa.com/animals/ringtail-cat.html |access-date=2020-11-20}}</ref>

[[File:Ringtail ZionFB edited.jpg|thumb|right|Ringtail in tree in Zion N.P.]]
[[File:Ringtail2.jpg|thumb|right|Ringtail on [[Camelback Mountain]], Phoenix, Arizona]]
These animals are characterized by a long black and white "ringed" tail with 14–16 stripes,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall02%20projects/Ringtail.htm |title=The Biogeography of Ringtailed Cats |last=Lu |first=Julie |publisher=San Francisco University |access-date=25 December 2010|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810025737/http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall02%20projects/Ringtail.htm |archive-date=August 10, 2010 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gilbert |first=Bil. |title=Ringtails |magazine=Smithsonian |year=2000 |issue=5 |pages=65–70 |via=[[ProQuest]] |access-date=2 April 2015 |url=http://ProQuest.com}}</ref>

The claws are short, straight, and semi-retractable, well-suited for climbing.<ref name="Poglayen-Neuwall-Toweill-19882">{{cite journal |last1=Poglayen-Neuwall |first1=Ivo |last2=Toweill |first2=Dale E. |year=1988 |title=Bassariscus astutus |url=http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-327-01-0001.pdf |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=327 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.2307/3504321 |jstor=3504321}}</ref>

Smaller than a [[Cat|house cat]], it is one of the smallest extant [[Procyonidae|procyonids]] (only the smallest in the [[olingo]] species group average smaller). Its body alone measures {{convert|30|–|42|cm|abbr=on|in}} and its tail averages {{convert|31|–|44|cm|abbr=on|in}} from its base. It typically weighs around {{convert|0.7|to|1.5|kg|abbr=on|lb}}.<ref name=Hunter2>{{cite book |last=Hunter |first=Luke |year=2011 |title=Carnivores of the World |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691152288}}</ref>

[[File:Bassariscus astutus 02 MWNH 367.JPG|thumb|left|Skull of a ringtail]]
Its dental formula is {{DentalFormula|upper=3.1.4.2|lower=3.1.4.2}} = 40.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stangl |first1=Frederick B. |last2=Henry- Langston |first2=Sarah |last3=Lamar |first3=Nicholas |last4=Kasper |first4=Stephen |year=2014 |title=Sexual dimorphism in the ringtail (''Bassariscus astutus'') from Texas |journal=Natural Science Research Laboratory |volume=328}}</ref>

The [[ankle]] joint is flexible and is able to rotate over 180&nbsp;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.<ref name=gustafson/>

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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barja |first1=Isabel |last2=List |first2=Rurik |date=2006-12-01 |title=Faecal marking behaviour in ringtails (''Bassariscus astutus'') during the non-breeding period: Spatial characteristics of latrines and single faeces |journal=Chemoecology |language=en |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=219–222 |doi=10.1007/s00049-006-0352-x |bibcode=2006Checo..16..219B |s2cid=7959174 |issn=0937-7409}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barja, I. |author2=List, R. |year=2006 |title=Faecal marking behaviour in ringtails (''Bassariscus astutus'') during the non-breeding period: Spatial characteristics of latrines and single faeces |journal=Chemoecology |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=219–222|doi=10.1007/s00049-006-0352-x |bibcode=2006Checo..16..219B |s2cid=7959174 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schoenherr |first=Allen A. |year=1992 |title=A Natural History of California |place=University of California Press |page=386|isbn=9780520909915}}</ref>