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CACOMISTLE, common name for a small nocturnal mammal, Bassariscus astutus, of the family Procyonidae (see RACCOON). The cacomistle (Span., "half mountain lion") is common to wooded and rocky areas from Oregon to Mexico. The animal, also called bassarisk, weighs about 1 kg (about 2.5 lb) and has a slender body about 41 cm (about 16 in) long and a 38-cm-long (15-in) tail. The face is foxlike, the ears are erect, and the large, bright eyes are surrounded by light patches of fur. The coat is long and soft, light brown above and darker along the back, and the long, bushy tail has six or eight broad white rings; the underparts are white. The cacomistle feeds on rodents and fruit. |