SAN ANTONIO – A ringtail is the newest species to be caught on camera crossing the land bridge at Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio.
The species is “rarely seen,” according to a Facebook post from Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy representatives.
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Ringtails, sometimes incorrectly referred to as ringtail cats, are nocturnal and spend most of the day sleeping in their dens, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website states.
The animals resemble a small fox with a bushy tail that has alternating black and white rings.
The ringtail spotted on the land bridge trail camera has a Texas spiny lizard in its mouth.
DesertMuseum.org lists the ringtail as an omnivore and states that the animals “will eat just about anything if it is the right size.”
The land bridge was completed in Dec. 2020 but was planned before Phil Hardberger Park originally opened in 2010. The construction of Wurzbach Parkway meant the park would be split in two, so San Antonio city officials, including former mayor Phil Hardberger, came up with the idea of a land bridge.
The bridge is 150 feet wide and helps facilitate animal crossings in addition to allowing visitors to cross to the other side of the park.