Ringtail cat

Ringtail Cacomistle ❤️

Which animal would get your vote for the 'cutest in North America?' Before you make up your mind, make sure to acquaint yourself first with the adorable ringtail cat, a common but elusive little critter found primarily in West and Southwest USA.

This is the first ringtail cat I've ever seen in daylight. Normally I just catch a glimpse of them crossing a road or see their glowing eyes. This curious guy found his way into my friends racoon trap. It was released unharmed nearby.

This was taken in the Anza-Borrego museum display. Not often seen, but a well done mount.

Catamundi

The cacomistle, Bassariscus sumichrasti, is a nocturnal, arboreal and omnivorous member of the carnivoran family Procyonidae. The term cacomistle is from the Nahuatl language (tlahcomiztli) and means "half cat" or "half mountain lion";[2] it is sometimes also used to refer to the ringtail, Bassariscus astutus, a similar species that inhabits arid northern Mexico and the American Southwest.

While live trapping fishers for a translocation project I occasionally caught other animals that were lured in by the raw chicken. Ringtails and squirrels were the most common by-catch. This was the first ringtail that I actually got a good photo of though. After I let it out of the trap it ran up a tree and perched on this branch for a couple minutes before it scampered off.