Ringtail

Ringtails are small, agile members of the raccoon family, found across arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where rocky canyons, cliffs, and brushy terrain suit them best. A slender build, large eyes, and a long, bushy tail banded in black and white — nearly as long as the body itself — give the species its name, along with an old nickname, "miner's cat," earned by controlling rodents around prospectors' camps and cabins. Almost entirely nocturnal, ringtails are exceptional climbers, able to rotate their hind feet nearly backward to descend cliffs and tree trunks headfirst.