The
ringtail (
Bassariscus astutus) is a
mammal of the
raccoon family, native to arid regions of
North America. It is also known as the
ringtail cat,
ring-tailed cat,
miner's cat or
bassarisk, and is also sometimes mistakenly called a "
civet cat" (after similar, though unrelated, cat-like
omnivores of Asia and Africa). The ringtail is sometimes called a
cacomistle, though this term seems to be more often used to refer to
Bassariscus sumichrasti.