Q 01/05

Despite the nickname ring-tailed cat, the ringtail is a close relative of which familiar North American mammal?

A) Striped skunk

B) Raccoon

C) Opossum

D) Badger

Answer · why

B) Raccoon

Raccoon is right: both belong to the family Procyonidae, and genetic studies suggest their lineages split about 10 million years ago.

Q 02/05

The ringtail has been the official state mammal of which southwestern US state since August 1986?

A) Nevada

B) New Mexico

C) Utah

D) Arizona

Answer · why

D) Arizona

Arizona adopted the ringtail in the same law that named an official state reptile, fish and amphibian: a rattlesnake, a trout and a tree frog.

Q 03/05

The ringtail's nickname miner's cat comes from the job it did in prospectors' cabins, which was what?

A) Catching mice

B) Guarding gold dust

C) Warning of bad air

D) Carrying messages

Answer · why

A) Catching mice

Catching mice earned tame ringtails a welcome in the camps and homes of early settlers, who kept them as companions as well as mousers.

Q 04/05

A ringtail's hind feet can rotate 180 degrees, which lets the animal do what on cliffs and tree trunks?

A) Hang by its hind claws

B) Leap backwards

C) Descend headfirst

D) Sleep upside down

Answer · why

C) Descend headfirst

Descend headfirst: with the hind feet turned around, the pads and claws keep their grip, so a ringtail runs straight down a trunk that a house cat wou...

Q 05/05

When are ringtails active, which is why visitors to the Grand Canyon rarely see these common animals?

A) At midday

B) At night

C) Only at dawn

D) During rainstorms

Answer · why

B) At night

At night is when ringtails hunt, and Grand Canyon rangers say they also use the dark to loot campers' packs, open trash cans and dumpsters.