Fossils of Bassariscus, the ringtail (Carnivora, Procyonidae) are reported and described from the early Pliocene White Bluffs Local Fauna of the Ringold Formation, central Washington. The specimens, assigned to Bassariscus astutus, are larger than Miocene species of Bassariscus but show no apparent difference in size or dental characters from the living species B. astutus. The locality lies outside the geographical range of modern B. astutus and adds to evidence of less-extreme winter climate in the area during the early Pliocene.
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Northwest Science
Vol. 89 • No. 2
May 2015
Vol. 89 • No. 2
May 2015
Bassariscus
fossil
Pliocene
teeth
Washington
