I call those cacomistles. I'm surprised it is the State Animal though. I would have expected rattlesnake or roadrunner or something like that. Unless "Animal" really means "Mammal", because I know there are also State Birds. If it was just mammals I'd expect javelina or bighorn.
@Chlidonias although cacomistle (Bassariscus sumichrasti) may indeed be better than the javelina or bighorn, they are different animals from the ring tailed "cat" (Bassariscus astutus)
Cacomixtle is an aztec word that means half Cat. I know that in the US the bassaricus astusus are called ringtails. In the daytime they are usually asleep, but they are very active in nocturnal houses.
@Chlidonias Time for you to get reading glasses! I did not type state animal, I typed state mammal. The link I posted also says mammal. We do have a state bird (cactus wren) and a state reptile (ridge-nosed rattlesnake).
@savethelephant both species are called cacomistles - although ringtail does appear to be the most common for this species (probably just because this is the US name so you get the "internet effect" where it shows up as dominant)
Even though it is our state mammal, if I used either ringtail or cacomistle to the average Arizona resident they would give me a blank stare and say what in the world is that?
Sorry for confusion. It's a bad photo anyway. When downloading my photos I give them names real quick, I didn't adjust it for the forum. I wanted show the effect of the mesh.
