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Species authority page

Ringtail

Bassariscus astutus · Furbearers

Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus): Long bushy tail ringed black and white, roughly as long as the head and body. Buffy body with dark brown wash and pale buff underparts. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the ringtail map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Bassariscus astutus
Family
Procyonidae
In North America
Native
Range
Western North America north to southern Oregon, northern Nevada, northern Utah, southern Wyoming and Colorado, south through California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas into Mexico; old records from Kansas.
Biology

How to identify it

Long bushy tail ringed black and white, roughly as long as the head and body. [1][2]

Buffy body with dark brown wash and pale buff underparts. [1][2]

Black or dark brown eye rings set in buffy patches. [1][2]

Cat-like body, fox-like face, large oval ears, semi-retractable claws. [1][2]

Head and body 305-420 mm, 824-1,338 g. [1][2]

Compared with the raccoon: ADW notes a ringed tail much like a raccoon's; ringtail is far slimmer, cat-like, with a much longer tail. [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a ringtail before you act. Compared with the raccoon: ADW notes a ringed tail much like a raccoon's; ringtail is far slimmer, cat-like, with a much longer tail.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Rocky areas with cliffs, crevices, canyons or talus in desert scrub, chaparral, oak and pinyon-juniper woodland and montane conifer forest, usually within 0.5 mile of water. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Mainly nocturnal, also at dusk and dawn; active year round [1][2]

Omnivorous but prefers animal matter: arthropods, small mammals, fruit, birds, reptiles, amphibians [1][2]

Calls include an explosive bark and a piercing scream [1][2]

Secretive; occurs singly or in pairs; changes dens often [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Western North America north to southern Oregon, northern Nevada, northern Utah, southern Wyoming and Colorado, south through California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas into Mexico; old records from Kansas.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology