Central American Cacomistle

## About

A Central American cacomistle at night.

The Central American cacomistle ***(Bassariscus sumichrasti)*** (pronouned CAC-O-MISEL) also known as the ring-tailed cacomistle, is a small mammal belonging to the family procyonidae. Despite being commonly misidentified as a cat, the cacomistle is not at all related to any felines, and is instead more closely related to coatis ***(Nasua narica)*** and olingos ***(Bassaricyon gabbii)***. Cacomistles have light brownish gold fur that transitions to grey on their heads and into white on their underbelly and paws. Obviously the tail is the most striking feature of the cacomistle's body. The tail of the cacomistles is covered in black and white rings, which leads to it being called the ring-tailed cat on occasion. The ringed tail is very large compared to the animal's body and is also noticeably bushy. The monochrome appearance of the tail allows the animals to appear more threatening (discussed in Behaviour). The large ears and eyes of a cacomistle mirror those of a feline, being used for the same purpose. Being nocturnal, the cacomistle's eyesight is greatly geared towards a nocturnal lifestyle, having the ability to see well in night time environments. The ears of the cacomistle are also very useful for a nocturnal lifestyle, possessing great hearing. Unlike their close relatives the ring-tailed cat ***(Bassariscus astutus)***, cacomistles cannot retract their claws, further differentiating them from cats. Cacomistles are relatively small animals growing to around 60-100cm (24-40in) in length from head to tail and weigh in at 1kg (2.2lbs).

## Diet

Cacomistles are very adaptable and eat a wide range of food, making them generalist feeders, however, they prefer to eat meat over plants if given the opportunity. Cacomistles will often eat invertebrates as well as larger prey items such as eggs, lizards and amphibians and even rodents. As cacomistles are omnivorous, they also seek out fruits like papayas and bananas as well as other plants such as mistletoe ***(Viscum album)***, which also plays a large role in their territory selection.

## Conservation Status

Though cacomistles are currently classed as least concern by the IUCN, they remain uncommon throughout their range and are rarely spotted, making it difficult to monitor populations and possibly threats. As cacomistles inhabit almost exclusively rainforest environments, logging and deforestation in Central America is extremely damaging to native cacomistle populations. In the Mexican population of cacomistles in particular, deforestation is a tremendous issue, as the rate of forest clearance is absurd in Mexico. In Costa Rica, the species is close to becoming regionally extinct, as very few populations remain in the country. In addition to matters of deforestation, cacomistles are still frequently hunted by the local people of Honduras and Mexico. Most obviously cacomistles are hunted for their tails -which are extremely sought after for their patterning- however, cacomistles are also poached for their meat, which is seen as a delicacy in the region. Though cacomistle meat is commonly eaten by the native populations of Central America, it is unknown whether cacomistle meat products are distributed internationally.

## Range and Population

As mentioned previously, cacomistles inhabit densely forested regions of Central America, as well as more arid regions in Mexico. Cacomistles are extremely well adapted to an arboreal lifestyle in forested environments, having non-retractable claws and long tails which aid in the distribution of body weight when in high canopies. The cacomistle population is unknown and thought to be decreasing due to the overwhelming pressures of deforestation which is destroying the region. Cacomistles are dependent of rainforest environments in order to survive, and the shrinking of these environments could lead to the cacomistle becoming even more uncommon. Cacomistles can currently be found in every Mainland country in the Central American region, from their most northern range in Guatemala and Mexico to their most southern populations in Panama however, regardless of their range cacomistles remain uncommon, being most infrequent in Costa Rica.

## Behaviour

Being nocturnal, cacomistles are active at night and lay dormant throughout the day, providing another factor that makes the studying of the species particularly difficult. In addition, cacomistles rarely come to the ground from the trees canopies, favouring an arboreal lifestyle. Cacomistles are solitary animals and are rarely sighted in groups however, one report tells of a group of 5-9 cacomistles feeding in a fruit tree. Usually cacomistles will only interact with each other in the mating season, being extremely territorial outside of the season. Cacomistle territories are large, spanning 136ha (336ac) on occasion. Cacomistle territories also do not overlap. Cacomistles do not mark their territory with excrement or urine, instead individuals will exchange loud calls in order to differentiate territories. These calls may last for hours at a time. When threatened, cacomistles will arch their backs similarly to a cat. While in this position, cacomistles will raise their tails above their heads to appear more threatening, accompanied by the tail swelling to a larger state. This display typically discourages opponents from challenging the cacomistle, as they appear larger and more dominant.

### Relationship with Humans

Cacomistles have had a relationship with humans for hundreds of years, in fact the name "*cacomistle*" comes from the word "*tlahcomiztli*", a word from the Aztec Nahuatl language, that translates roughly to "half cat" or "half mountain lion". Today, cacomistles still interact with humans often. Cacomistles are famously easy to tame, which has lead to them being considered exotic pets in some areas. It is considered legal to own a cacomistle in multiple US states.

## In Captivity

Cacomistles -though common pets- are infrequently found in zoos, and are only present in two institutes in America according to ZOOINSTITUES. Cacomistles can be found in both Cincinnati Zoo and a variety of other smaller American zoos. In captivity cacomistles are housed most often in nocturnal institutes, which create a comfortable environment for the shy animals.

## Sources

* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2613/166521324
* Cacomistle | Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bassariscus\_sumichrasti/
* Cacomistle | Lamar University - https://www.lamar.edu/arts-sciences/biology/study-abroad-belize/jungle-critters/jungle-critters-1/the-central-american-cacomistle.html
* Ring-Tailed Cacomistle | Ambassador Animal Research and Information Center - https://ambassadoranimalsag.wordpress.com/2018/08/15/ring-tailed-cacomistle/
* Cacomistle | Britannica - https://www.britannica.com/animal/cacomistle
* Central American Cacomistle | ZOOINSTITUTES - https://zooinstitutes.com/animals/central-american-cacomistle-193/
* Cacomistle | Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacomistle
* Cacomistle | Thoughts.Co - https://www.thoughtco.com/cacomistle-4769139