About This Project

The ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) is a protected mammal species in California yet there is a significant lack of information about ringtails here and elsewhere. This project will utilize wildlife cameras to provide photographic evidence of ringtail occurrences to help better understand the distribution of ringtails in California. This information is critical in helping biologists make decisions ensuring that ringtail populations continue to thrive throughout the state.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Many years ago, I was invited by ringtail biologist Dr. Gene Trapp to help live-trap ringtails...that was my very first encounter with this species. I was hooked!! This remarkable mesocarnivore is pretty much an unknown to many people and are members of the family Procyonidae - sharing it with cousins such as raccoons and coatis. There are two species in their genus, with our species occurring here in North America. In California, they are listed as a Fully Protected Mammal - this provides legal protections for ringtails similar to those afforded to endangered species. But, there just simply isn't much broadly known about ringtails and their life histories. One such major gap is the current distribution of this species in California. The available range maps are primarily based on studies in the 1930s and 1980s that relied on trapper reports for much of the data. Hence we arrive at this study to help determine locations in California where ringtails can be documented.

What is the significance of this project?

Catastrophic wildfires, illicit cannabis grows, habitat fragmentation...these are just some of the major impacts to wildlife we are now experiencing in California. However, being a species where little is known already about their habitat relationships and additionally being a species where their actual distribution is poorly documented, provides a further level of threat to maintaining healthy populations of ringtails in California. Where ringtails live in this state needs to be understood before we can be on the alert for population changes that can be documented and hopefully to help provide solutions to potential problems that could occur with ringtail populations. Where they live is the starting point to examining why they live there and what threats they face and conversely why they might be doing well in other areas. As a Fully Protected Mammal in California, it is essential that we achieve this early stage understanding of occurrence.

What are the goals of the project?

This project provides "seed money" to purchase the initial equipment necessary to help document presence of ringtails by collecting photographic evidence of ringtails throughout California. That equipment will be distributed in the format of a Citizen-Science effort to collaborators who would place wildlife cameras in ringtail-appropriate locations for up to two months at sites that are approved by the landholder for this deployment of wildlife cameras. The wildlife camera data will be provided to the project investigators and also shared with a parallel effort being conducted with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The on-going goal will be to develop and continually update the range map for ringtails in California. Other than equipment costs, all personnel efforts are volunteer and therefore do not have a fiscal impact.