The cacomixtle (Bassariscus astutus) is a placental mammal that is part of the Procyonidae family. One distinguishing feature is that it can rotate the ankles of its hind legs 180 °; this allows you to agilely climb cliffs, rocky surfaces and tree trunks.
Another highlight is the tail. This is dense and measures a little more than the total length of your body. In addition, it has rings of black and white colors, presented alternately. The cacomixtle uses it to maintain balance while climbing.
It is distributed throughout Mexico and North America, from Oregon and California to Texas. Its habitat is made up of cliffs, deserts, mountainous forests, and rocky regions. In these, it usually takes shelter in the hollow of the trees and between the cracks in the rocks.
This species has an elongated body, measuring between 30 and 42 centimeters long. It has a broad head, with a short muzzle and large eyes. As for the coat, the coloration of the dorsal region can vary between gray and dark brown. Contrarily, the ventral area is yellowish or white.
Their diet consists of rabbits, mice, squirrels, insects, birds, fish, juniper berries, figs, and mistletoes..
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The researchers suggest that the early procyonids come from a branch of the canids, which modified their diet to an omnivorous diet..
The family Procyonidae, to which the cacomixtle belongs, is believed to have originated in Europe. The earliest fossil record of a procyonid in North America is from the early Miocene, when they became a predominant group. Its appearance in South America occurred between the late Miocene and the Pliocene.
The molecular data suggest that the genera that make up this family had a time of divergence, during the Miocene. Thus, estimates suggest that the Nasua - Bassaricyon and Bassariscus - Procyon genera divided at the end of the Miocene.
This could be associated with the influence of the environment, since it coincides with the global cooling period. Researchers argue that diversification is due to various adaptations in their behavior and morphology.
Some of these changes refer to adaptation to warmer climates, long digits, arboreal behavior and a diet that includes berries and fruits..
Regarding the genus Bassariscus, its fossils date from the Miocene period, around twenty million years ago. These were discovered in Nevada, Nebraska and California.
The size of the cacomixtle varies between 30 and 42 centimeters, with a tail that measures almost the same size as the body to a little longer than this. Regarding body weight, it ranges from 0.8 to 1.8 kilograms. In this species, the male is larger than the female.
The Bassariscus astutus it has a coat that could have variations, depending on the regions in which it inhabits. This allows it to blend in with the environment. Thus, those that live in the north tend to be a little darker than those that inhabit both the desert and the south..
In general, the dorsal coat is thick. Its color is greyish, with yellowish and brown tones. In the ventral region, including the chest area, the hair is softer and of a whitish tone.
It has a long and thick tail, characterized by ending in a black tip and by having rings in black and white colors, arranged alternately. These stripes can act as a distraction for predators.
Thus, the white rings pretend to be a target, confusing the predator. He gets confused and tries to catch her, representing a greater possibility for the cacomixtle to escape..
The skull of the Bassariscus astutus and elongated. The zygomatic arches are light and lack a sagittal crest. It has a gray or brown face, with an elongated snout. In this are the vibrissae, with a black coloration and a length of up to 7.5 centimeters.
The eyes are large, with a brownish iris and a rounded pupil. Around each of these they have a large light colored spot. As for the ears, they are narrow. Internally they are pink and covered in brown or gray fur, with lighter edges.
This species has a total of 40 teeth. In relation to these, the carnassials are not well developed and the canines have a rounded shape. Molars have sharp, tall ridges.
Their limbs are shortened. It has five toes on each leg, with sharp, short and semi-retractable claws..
The cacomixtle has a particularity, it is capable of turning the ankles of its hind limbs 180 °. An extraordinary feature that allows you to climb with great agility through trees and rocks.
Likewise, it can descend vertically at high speed through plant trunks, cliffs and branches. Many times it does it without using its claws.
In this scansorial animal, the hip adductors are more robust than those of those mainly terrestrial mammals. However, this is an adaptation for climbing, which is probably not directly related to the reversal of its hind legs..
So far no musculature has been identified that is directly related to limb reversal. Thus, plantar flexion of the ankle and expansion of the hip are probably due to the phylogeny.
The cacomixtle turns its ankles to climb ledges and cliffs, but also uses its tail. This he does to maintain balance, while climbing.
In addition, this animal can climb very narrow crevices. It does this by pressing its legs against one wall and its back against the other. Also, you could move around that small space by placing both right legs on one side of the rock and the other legs in the front area..
The Bassariscus astutus It is widespread throughout Mexico and North America, spanning southern California and Oregon to Texas.
In Mexico, it lives from Oaxaca to the desert area of Baja California. In addition, it is located on the islands of San José, Tiburón and Espíritu Santo, located in the Gulf of California..
The distribution of the cacomixtle in North America ranges from the Mexican provinces of Veracruz, Guerrero and Oaxaca to Oregon. This species commonly lives in New Mexico and most of Arizona. In Oklahoma, it is located around the southwestern areas of the Red River.
The northern limits of this species are defined by Oregon, California, eastern and southern Nevada, and southern Utah. It also includes Colorado, some counties in Kansas, southern Arkansas and Louisiana..
It is also distributed in the Great Basin desert, which includes the states of Utah, California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. In addition, it lives in the deserts of Chihuahua, in New Mexico, Mexico and Texas, and in that of Sonora, in Arizona.
The cacomixtle is an animal that inhabits a diversity of ecosystems, which can be found from sea level to approximately 2,900 meters of altitude. Thus, it lives in tropical deciduous forests, xerophilous scrub, coniferous and oak forests.
In addition, they are found in chaparrals, deserts, and stone pine forests (Pinus edulis), chaparral, semi-arid oak forests (Quercus spp.), montane coniferous forests and juniper (Juniperus). However, they prefer cliffs, rocky areas and tropical dry habitats..
Also, they could live in riparian regions, since in these there is a greater availability of food. In addition, it can adapt to disturbed areas and frequent urbanized areas.
One of the most important elements within the habitat of the Bassariscus astutus is the water. However, they could survive without free water, in the case that their diet contains prey with high protein content, insects or fruits. In addition, in cases where this liquid is scarce, the urine becomes more concentrated. This adaptation allows you to retain body water.
This animal is nocturnal, so they spend a large part of the day resting in their den. These can be found in crevices or hollow trees. Specialists point out that they generally do not last more than three days in the same resting place.
This is usually attributed to the fact that the cacomixtle covers several hectares of land every night, in search of food. Thus, normally the animal does not return to the previous den, but rather is dedicated to finding and occupying a new space, which is within the range where it is located..
The cacomixtle population has decreased, so the IUCN considers that, although it is at a lower risk of extinction, it is necessary to take actions aimed at solving the problems that afflict it..
The main threat of Bassariscus astutus, especially in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Colorado, it is their hunting, in order to commercialize their skin. Likewise, they are also caught accidentally, in the traps of raccoons and foxes..
Also, the cacomixtle dies when being collided by the vehicles, at the moment that the animal tries to cross a road. Another factor is the spread of some diseases, such as canine parvovirus, toxoplasmosis and rabies, which are transmitted to this animal by dogs and cats..
In addition, population decline is caused by land use change and forest fires. Likewise, they tend to die poisoned, due to the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural plantations, thus contaminating the plants and fruits that the animal consumes..
This species is included in Appendix III of CITES. In addition, in Mexico it is subject to special protection by the National Institute of Ecology.
Likewise, the legal protection may vary in the different regions where it lives. For example, in California they are fully protected, while in Texas there is no restriction on hunting..
Animal Kingdom.
Subkingdom Bilateria.
Chordate phylum.
Vertebrate Subphilum.
Infrafilum Gnathostomata.
Tetrapoda superclass.
Mammal class.
Subclass Theria.
Infraclass Eutheria.
Order Carnivora.
Suborder Caniformia.
Family Procyonidae.
Genus Bassariscus.
Bassariscus astutus species.
Subspecies:
Bassariscus astutus arizonensis.
Bassariscus astutus consitus.
Bassariscus astutus astutus.
Bassariscus astutus bolei.
Bassariscus astutus insulicola.
Bassariscus astutus flavus.
Bassariscus astutus macdougallii.
Bassariscus astutus octavus.
Bassariscus astutus raptor.
Bassariscus astutus nevadensis.
Bassariscus astutus palmarius.
Bassariscus astutus willetti.
Bassariscus astutus saxicola.
Bassariscus astutus yumanensis.
In the Bassariscus astutus both the female and the male reach sexual maturity around 10 months of age. During the reproductive season, the female has only one estrous cycle, where estrus is very short. This can last between 24 and 36 hours.
As for the mating season, it is restricted to a few months during the year. It can generally occur between February and May. In the central region of Texas, the female enters heat approximately the first days of the month of April and, usually, already between the 15 and the 18 they have already been fertilized.
In the cacomixtle, the mating ritual includes marking the territory. Both the male and the female participate in this behavior, whose territories do not overlap. To demarcate it, they deposit their feces and urine in areas near their lair.
During copulation, the male grabs the female from behind her pelvis. You do this by assuming a sitting position and using your forefoot. The male can hold the partner in this way for a minute or two. On the other hand, the female emits various vocalizations before and during copulation..
The gestation period can vary from 51 to 54 days. After this, between one and four young are born.
Birth occurs in a den, which may be located in or below a rock crevice. He too Bassariscus astutus can give birth in hollow trees. These sites could be covered by grass or leaves, in very few opportunities it uses feathers or hair. The use of this lair is temporary.
At birth, the young weigh between 14 and 40 grams and have their eyes closed. These are opened when they are 22 to 24 days old. Often both parents are involved in raising the young. However, the female is the one who is mainly in charge of the care of the young, weaning them at four months.
The young are covered in a short, whitish coat. When they are about four months old, they already have the coloration that identifies adults.
From two months, they accompany their parents to look for food, and will hunt by themselves after four months. At the age of eight months he can already climb trees, in search of food.
The Bassariscus astutus it is an omnivorous animal. The foods you eat will be selected basically taking into account the seasonal abundance and the geographical area in which they live..
In general, they eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, invertebrates, among which are insects. Occasionally, may eat carrion.
Among the group of small mammals are white ankle mice (Peromyscus pectoralis), cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), wood rats (Neotoma spp.), Rock squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus), eastern ground squirrels (Spermophilus mexicanus).
As for the most consumed plant species are acorns, juniper berries, mistletoes, wild figs and persimmons. Besides fruits, they can eat flowers and seeds. Likewise, in the desert area, southwest of Texas, this animal feeds on the nectar of Havarian agave.
In Texas, the diet consists of small passerine birds (9.9%), lizards and snakes (3.9%), small mammals such as rats, squirrels, mice, carrion and cotton tails (24.4%), frogs and toads (0.2%).
It also includes insects, mainly crickets and grasshoppers (31.2%), centipedes, scorpions and spiders (11.1%) and some fruits, such as blackberry, persimmon and mistletoe (19.3%).
In contrast, from the Edwards Plateau region, west central Texas, plant material accounted for 74% of what was ingested by cacomixtle. However, depending on the season, they also ate arachnids and insects (32%), small mammals (14%) and passerine birds (6%)..
On the island of San José, located in the Gulf of California, the feeding of the Bassariscus astutus it is based on species that are found in abundance on a seasonal basis. Thus, insects represent almost 50%, although they also consumed snakes, lizards and small rodents.
As for the plant material, it also constitutes a fundamental source of nutrients. Among this group are the Lycium, Phaulothamnus and Solanum fruits, characterized by their fleshy fruits and by having a large quantity of seeds.
In the fall, the diet is usually based on insects (36%), mammals (16%), and plants (25%) and mammals (16%). During winter, mammals represent 36%, followed by birds (24%), insects (20%) and plants (17%).
In the spring time, their diet is based on small mammals (32%), insects (32%), various plants (17%), birds (7%) and reptiles (2.3%). In the summer season, the preference was on insects (57%), plants (16%), mammals (5%), birds (4%) and reptiles (2%).
The cacomixtle is a solitary animal, except in the mating season, where it can form a couple. Even after mating, the female and the male may stay close to each other for a short time..
The studies carried out on its social behavior do not indicate that this species is monogamous, but they do suggest a structure based on the territory.
In addition, its habits are nocturnal, although it could occasionally be active at dusk. During this time, he spends most of his time looking for food. After having consumed its food, the cacomixtle sits on its hindquarters, in a similar way to the posture assumed by the cat..
At that moment, the animal licks its coat and front legs, which it then uses to clean the muzzle, cheeks and ears..
The Bassariscus astutus it has a great variety of vocalizations, which it uses to communicate. For example, adults may bark, scream, and make a long, high-pitched call. Hatchlings often vocalize metallic screeches and moans.
Apart from sounds, it is likely that there is a tactile communication, which could exist between a mother and her offspring and between the members of a couple.
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