---
title: "Ringtail"
description: "Bassariscus astutus — Mammals. The ringtail is a mammal of the raccoon family native to arid regions of North America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/ringtail
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Ringtail

> Bassariscus astutus — Mammals. The ringtail is a mammal of the raccoon family native to arid regions of North America.

- Scientific name: *Bassariscus astutus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `desert` (Desert)
- iNaturalist observations: 12144
- Wikidata: [Q632701](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q632701)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41676](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41676)

## Names

- en: Ringtail
- de: Nordamerikanisches Katzenfrett
- es: Cacomixtle norteño
- fr: Bassaris rusé
- nl: Noord-Amerikaanse katfret
- pt: Bassarisco
- pl: Szopik pręgoogonowy

## Countries with the most observations

MX (4914), US (3115)

## Summary

The ringtail is a mammal of the raccoon family native to arid regions of North America. It is widely distributed and well-adapted to its distributed areas. It has been legally trapped for its fur. Globally, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List but is a Conservation Strategy Species in Oregon and Fully Protected in California. The ringtail is the state mammal of Arizona.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringtail

## Photo

![Ringtail](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/ringtail/medium.jpg)

Photo: Taylor Paez · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/28738191

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/ringtail?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).