Study confirms ringtails have expanded into southern Idaho

MOSCOW, Idaho — New research provides the strongest evidence to date that ringtails — secretive, cat-sized omnivores with raccoon-like tails — have expanded their range into southern Idaho and may now be a resident species in the state.

Peter Rebholz, then a University of Idaho graduate student, and David Ausband, assistant professor in the university’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, documented ringtails, which are nocturnal and rarely seen in the wild, during a targeted camera-trap survey conducted in the Rock Creek canyon system of the Sawtooth National Forest south of Twin Falls. Over three months in early 2023, the team recorded nine independent ringtail detections across six camera locations, marking the first successful scientific survey to confirm the species’ presence in Idaho.  

Because earlier camera surveys in the region failed to detect ringtails, the new findings indicate the species’ distribution may be shifting northward.

The findings, “Evidence of Ringtail Expansion into Idaho, USA,” published in April in Ecology and Evolution, follow more than 20 years of incidental sightings reported by wildlife managers and members of the public. However, the species’ state conservation ranking still identifies it as nonbreeding and present in Idaho only accidentally or occasionally.

The new findings suggest that ringtails have established a population in southern Idaho rather than appearing only as occasional visitors. During the study, two ringtails were photographed more than 3 miles apart within a few hours of each other, indicating that multiple individuals likely inhabit the area.

Between February and May 2023, researchers deployed 49 baited camera traps in streamside canyon habitats near recent ringtail sightings. All detections occurred at night. Although ringtails can live in a variety of habitats, the study suggests that juniper woodlands may be particularly important along the northern edge of the species’ range.

Researchers believe environmental changes, including the expansion of juniper woodlands, may be creating more suitable habitat for ringtails in southern Idaho by increasing available cover, denning sites and food resources.  

“Finding ringtails at six locations gives us the strongest evidence yet that the species has expanded into southern Idaho and may have a lasting presence here,” Ausband said. “We documented multiple animals, but we have not confirmed that they are breeding or remain in the area year-round. Further research could help answer those questions.”

Media contact

David Ausband
Assistant unit leader, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
208-885-1172
dausband@uidaho.edu