Well! We have discovered where the ringtails play. Two weeks ago I put the critter cam on the stairs to the tower after having spotted that small creature under the bottom step. I expected a lot of action because of the prodigious amounts of scat we regularly find and sweep off the tower landings. Not being a scat expert (though I do know quite a lot of shit), I figured the raccoons were the culprits. And probably they do account for a goodly amount of it. As do squirrels, I imagine. But I had not really expected the frequent and playful visits of ringtail cats. Take a look:
Wikipedia is a many splendored thing–and I drew much of the following information from the article “Ring-tailed cat.”
They are not cats at all. They are in the same family as raccoons. The ringtail is the state mammal of Arizona. They are omnivorous, devouring fruit, insects, and berries in the spring and summer. They have been enjoying the abundant persimmon fruits this summer, as attested to by the aforementioned abundant scat. In the cooler season, they are more carnivorous–and we hope they will help control our ‘Tom and Jerry’ population.
In learning more about these creatures, I happened upon blogs written by folks who do not enjoy or admire ringtail cats. It seems they kill them with abandon and display their collection of lifeless bodies with pride. I can kill cockroaches, flies, and mosquitos and other biting and stinging insects. But it is hard to imagine killing (or even wanting to kill) these beautiful and playful critters.
They are said to be solitary, but I think the two playmates on the stairs forgot. They must be young ones, enjoying their first summer and fall. Ringtails mate in spring and the gestation period is about 6-7 weeks. The babes will hunt for themselves after about 4 months–which might be right about now. (You may have noticed them playing with a dead frog in the video.) They are nocturnal (obviously!), so I don’t harbor any hope of getting a good photo of one.
Having had such good luck with the critter cam and ringtails, I will try to find and see what other lovelies walk the land when we are not looking or when we don’t know how to see them. Stay tuned.