# ringtails

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 18, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267 "2011-05-18T00:34:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rlguffey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea5d25/32.png) [@rlguffey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rlguffey)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267/1 "2011-05-18T00:34:05Z")

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I notice that many diverse groups of mammals have ringed tails: raccoons, lemurs, coatis, lesser pandas, certain civets. Raccoons and coatis are related but the others are not, well pandas maybe. Still why should so many different animals have ring tails? Some of these are diurnal, but others are nocturnal. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267/2 "2011-05-18T00:37:24Z")

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I got nothin’, but it’s an interesting question. I’ll hang around to find out.

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**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267/3 "2011-05-18T01:29:27Z")

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interesting question. don’t remember that from OOS. might help to first decide whether the feature is good for survival or sexual selection.

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267/4 "2011-05-18T02:26:05Z")

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I can offer this: in shady areas, tall grass, undergrowth, tree-branch areas, etc., a striped pattern is valuable in breaking up body shape/contours, as camouflage, even, maybe especially, when the stripes are a strong contrast to each other. Where tails are important in balance, having theior characteristic shape and movements broken up by such a contrast is valuable. And with tails being typically cylindrical appendages, a stripe extended all around the tail becomes a ring.

This may not be the only reason, or in some cases even the major reason, but it’s one item that comes to bear on selection for ringed tails.

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**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267/5 "2011-05-18T02:32:36Z")

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Hope we get an answer on that sexual selection, but just in case, I’m grafting one on, now.

Yes, I am going prehensile, since you were about to ask.

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**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ringtails/582267/6 "2011-05-18T02:48:09Z")

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Most tabby cats (and wild felines that exhibit the same sort of patten) have ringed tails also, and the tabby pattern can be excellent camouflage.