Ringtail Cats Dubbed As The "Cutest Animal In North America"

• 01

  Habitat

  
  via Credit: NPS

  The Ringtail Cat is geographically unique to the region of North America.

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• 02

  Their unique looks

  
  via Credit: NPS

  They have a distinctive bushy tail, resembling that of raccoons, in the pattern, and often longer than the head and body combined. Their eyes are either black or a dark brown with a cute whitish mask.

• 03

  Nocturnal

  
  via Credit: AZ Game & Fish

  Ringtail cats are nocturnal, except during the mating season. Like most some other cat species, they prefer to live solitarily. And just like a cat, the ringtail will lick its forepaw, then use it to wipe and clean its ears, face, and snout. 

• 04

  Omnivore

  
  via Credit: NPS

  Being an omnivore, the ringtail sports semi-retractable claws ideal for digging and climbing. Their small mouths hold 40 teeth, and their canines are well developed.

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• 05

  Vocal

  
  via Credit: Texas Parks & Wildlife

  For being so shy and timid, they certainly have a wide range of calls; from their high-pitched scream when they're being attacked to their mating calls and chirps, squeaks and/or whimpers. 

• 06

  Shy

  
  via Credit: CSERC.org

  They are very timid toward humans and therefore are less often seen than their raccoon cousins.

• 07

  Climbing

  
  via Credit: AZ State Library

  They are also known for their incredible climbing abilities. They have a unique ability to rotate their hind feet 180 degrees, which allow they to feet the pads of their pads securely on whatever surface they're currently on. 

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• 08

  How it protects itself

  
  via Credit: NPS

  When threatened by a predator, the ringtail cat bristles its tail high over its back toward its head in an attempt to look even larger and if they are captured, they secrete a foul-smelling oil from its anal gland and emit a high-pitched screech.

• 09

  Surprise!

  
  via Credit: Texas Parks & Wildlife

  It turns out, the ringtail cat is not even a cat at all! As the tail suggests, they are actually a member of the raccoon family, Procyonidae. Its face is fox-like with its small pointed nose and large rounded ears; its elongated body and the long, black-and-white striped tail is similar to a raccoon's.

• 10

  Being honored

  
  via Credit: NPS

  In 1988, Arizona, a vote by the state's schoolchildren officially declared the adorable and elusive animal as the Offical State Mammal of Arizona. 

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