Cacomistle

cacomistle

[′kak·ə‚mis·əl]

(vertebrate zoology)

Bassariscus astutus. A raccoonlike mammal that inhabits the southern and southwestern United States; distinguished by a bushy black-and-white ringed tail. Also known as civet cat; ringtail.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Cacomistle

 

(Bassariscus astutus ), a carnivorous mammal of the family Procyonidae. The body measures up to 38 cm long, the tail being somewhat longer. The animal weighs up to 1.1 kg. The body is slender and elongated, with short legs and a pointedsnout. The upper parts are yellowish brown with a black washand the underparts are lighter. The head has light patches andblack or dark brown rings around the eyes. The tail is bushy, with black and white rings. The cacomistle is distributed inNorth America, from Oregon to New Mexico, primarily inhabit-ing mountainous places. A nocturnal animal, it is a goodclimber. It feeds on small mammals, birds, invertebrates, andplants. Three to four young are born in May-June. Sometimescacomistles are kept as domestic animals to catch harmful ro-dents.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.