Bassariscus astutus
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. It is native to the southwestern United States (including the Los Padres National Forest) and Mexico. Solely nocturnal, the ringtail is so elusive that biologists don’t really know if their populations are healthy or threatened in our region.
