Why does a raccoon's tail have rings?

I suspect that the black and white rings on raccoon tails would fall in the latter category: the high-contrast design would stand out to predators adapted to low-light conditions, leading a predator to attack at the tail — the least vulnerable part of the raccoon — and give the raccoon the best chance for evasion and escape. read more

I have. Everything has an explanation, if you can just find it. Many of the animals in the Green Forest visited the Smiling Pool, where Grandfather Frog resided, when they wanted answers. Peter Rabbit would give Grandfather Frog no peace. Every day he visited the Smiling Pool. He wanted to know why it was that Bobby Coon wore rings on his tail. read more

They don't have striped tails. Skunks have striped tails. Raccoons have ringed tails. So does an animal known as, what else, the ringtail. :) Here is a picture of the tail of a ringtail, while it is climbing a tree. As one can see, the tail of the ringtail blends in pretty well with the tree trunk and the branches. read more