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North American ringtailed cat, cacomistle - BASSARISCUS ASTUTUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Cacomistle": "Cacomistle" is from the Mexican Nahuatl word "tlacomiztli," which means "half mountain lion." Although this animal indeed has a ringtail, it is not a cat, as it not in the family of "felidae," Latin for "cat." It is, rather, very closely related to raccoons - and hence the ring tail.
Location: Western North America.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Forests and rocky terrain.
Description: Its back is pale brown with some darker areas on the neck and legs. The underside of the body is whitish. The tail is often longer than the body and has black and white rings of long, bushy hair. The claws are semiretractile. The head and body are about 15 inches long with the tail about the same. They weigh about two pounds.
Behavior: Using its claws, it climbs nimbly through trees and branches. Catlike in build, it is nocturnal, and hunts small rodents and insects. It also eats plant matter. It builds a den among rocks, in hollows in trees, in ruined houses, or in the ruins of old Indian settlements. The ring-tailed cat often gathers in groups, but not for long. This species is easy to tame and it adapts well to living in gardens or city parks.
Reproduction: The three or four young are born in May or June after a gestation period of about 70 days. In the first fortnight of their life, only the mother looks after them, but later on she is helped by the father. They become completely independent after a few months.
Go to the Carnivore Page to learn more about all the meat-eating animals.
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