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Ringtail Cat (Bassariscus astutus)

The “ringtail” cat is also called the “miner’s” cat, because the gold rush miners keep them as pets and they were used to rid the mine shafts of rodents, additionally “Coon Cat”, and “Civet Cat” are some of the others names for this animal. It should also be mentioned, that although they are called “cats”, ringtails are actually one of the smallest members of the raccoon family about the size of a small domestic cat, 12 to 15 inches when full grown, with a raccoon like tail, and a face resemble a fox and like many who dwell in the desert, they are exceptionally elusive and almost totally nocturnal. Thus in my painting “Starlit Ringtail”, I’ve depicted this secretive ringtail, in its element(s) of darkness and the surroundings of the Sonoran Desert, where they thrive.