Ringtail – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Overview

Species Common Name Ringtail
Species Scientific Name Bassariscus astutus
State Listing Status Sensitive

Ecoregions

Coast Range

Oregon’s Coast Range, known for its dramatic scenery, is extremely diverse, with habitats ranging from open sandy dunes to lush forests and from tidepools to headwater streams. It follows the coastline and extends east through coastal forest to the border of the Willamette Valley and Klamath Mountains ecoregions

Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion covers much of southwestern Oregon, including the Umpqua Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains, and interior valleys and foothills between these and the Cascade Range. The Rogue watershed has the largest population of any coastal watershed in Oregon (Jackson County, Josephine County, and a portion of Curry County). Several popular and scenic rivers run …

West Cascades

The West Cascades ecoregion extends from east of the Cascade Mountains summit to the foothills of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue Valleys, and spans the entire length of the state of Oregon. It is largely dominated by conifer forests, moving into alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs at higher elevations.

Special needs

Ringtails occupy low-elevation forests with large-diameter snags and logs for dens. They are typically associated with late-successional forests. They may also use riparian and rocky areas.

Limiting factors

Ringtails are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. They rarely inhabit non-forested areas but may use legacy, large-diameter trees in harvested units. Ringtails require high prey densities.

Data gaps

Assess distribution and abundance. Investigate habitat selection. Develop survey methods for this secretive, nocturnal species.

Conservation actions

Collect information on data gaps.