“I saw that unmistakable beautiful tail … “
Published on June 13, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The other day, when Jacqueline Hurst was hiking Phoenix’s Piestewa Peak, she noticed an animal moving around the rocks near the trail. At first, she didn’t know what it was.
“[T]hen, I saw that unmistakable beautiful tail,” Hurst told The Dodo.
Sitting just a few feet away from Hurst was a ringtail, Arizona’s state mammal. The eye-catching animal was hanging out near some shrubs, enjoying a small piece of fruit.
While ringtails look similar to house cats, they’re actually a member of the raccoon family. Like raccoons, ringtails have fluffy, striped tails. They’re native to the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico, and while they’re not endangered, they’re incredibly elusive.
Hurst has hiked Piestewa Peak close to 100 times, but she’s only seen a ringtail once before.
“They tend to avoid humans,” Hurst said. “I really hadn’t expected to ever see one again.”
Ringtails are rare to see because they’re mostly nocturnal. Their large eyes help them see where they’re going at night and have the added bonus of being adorable. Hurst spotted the tiny mammal first thing in the morning when the sun had just come up.
“[V]ery few people have been lucky enough to ever see one in person,” Hurst said.
Hurst held her breath and snapped a few quick photos and videos of the ringtail. She couldn’t believe how close she was to such a special animal.
“They’re quite small, and certainly very cute,” Hurst said.
As exciting as it was for Hurst to get to see a ringtail, she’s worried about them getting too comfortable with people. When wild animals get habituated to being around humans, it’s dangerous for them.
“Unfortunately, I think one of the reasons that this particular ringtail was still active after sunrise is likely because some hikers are either leaving food behind or actually feeding the ringtails,” Hurst said. “I think people believe they are doing a good thing, but they’re not.”
Before long, the ringtail scurried away back to their hiding spot and likely went to bed. Hurst, on the other hand, spent the rest of the day basking in the glow of her unforgettable encounter.
To keep up with Hurst’s other wildlife sightings, you can follow her on Instagram.
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Hiker ‘Awestruck’ When Animal On Trail Is One Of 50 Left In The Wild
“Suddenly, a small, dark canine walked right toward me on a trail … “
A few years ago, Washington-based wildlife photographer Raychel Burke was out on a hike in the Mount Rainier area when a fellow hiker warned her about a coyote on the trail. But when Burke came across the “coyote” the hiker had described, she thought the animal looked more like a fox.
“Suddenly, a small, dark canine walked right toward me on a trail, but was much smaller than I expected,” Burke told The Dodo.