Looks like a mini bear but with a long tail, bearcat is one of the endangered animals in the wild. These animals are important in the forests because they spread seeds of fruits that they eat in their excrement. Bearcats simply help to replant the forest, but people don’t understand their crucial roles in the environment. We are going to talk a little about binturong today, let’s find out below.
Appearance
Binturong is a long and heavy animal with short stout legs and a thick coat of coarse black hair. It is the largest species in the Viverridae family, growing up to 96 centimeters long, weighing up to 20 kilograms. With a face that resembles a bear, a binturong has short round ears, edged with white and black hair tufts. It has large eyes and a short pointy muzzle that is covered with bristly hairs. One of the most distinctive characteristics of a binturong is the bushy prehensile tail that is thick at the root. The tail of a binturong is usually taper, and it curls at the tip.
A binturong has 6 short rounded incisors in each jaw along with 2 long and sharp canines and 6 molars on each side. Speaking of sharp, they also have large strong claws that can dig and scratch very well. What’s so interesting about binturongs is that both males and females have extremely aromatic scent glands. The glades are on either side of the vulva for the females and between the scrotum and penis for the males. Back in the old days, Cambodian, Chinese, and Thai used binturongs’ scent glands to make perfume. This is why there are many illegal huntings on binturongs for their scent glands.
Behavior
Artictis binturongs are mostly solitary, and they tend to evade each other but they aren’t strictly territorial. They are active both during the day and night, and they use their butter-like scent to communicate. At the same time, they also use their tails to keep balance and cling to a tree branch as well. Binturongs are skillful climbers so their prehensile tails are very helpful when it comes to climbing. On top of that, they can turn their ankles 180 degrees so their claws still can grip when climbing down a tree headfirst. There are also records of them diving and swimming in order to obtain food.
When irritated, they growl fiercely to keep the enemies away or do high-pitched wails like a cat screaming when bothered. And when on the prowl, they sometimes utter a series of hissing sounds or low grunts. A happy binturong will chuckle and snort when it is happy. When comfortable, they groom their fur, licking and shaking their hair, and scratching. Just like cats, binturongs also clean their faces with their front paws.
Feeding & Habitats
Bearcats are omnivorous so their main diet consists of birds, earthworms, fish, insects, rodents, small mammals, and fruits. Coming across prey is not always common so their most common diet is figs and other fruits they can find. In captivity, binturongs love apples, bananas, and oranges, but they also eat fowls’ heads and eggs.
Binturongs occur in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and their habitats vary depending on where they come from. As an elusive animal, binturong likes to be in tall forests but they are also common in foothills and hills with good tree cover. Since they are also primarily arboreal, binturongs also live in the canopies of dense, tall, and tropical forests.
Predators & Threats
Bearcats rarely fall as prey items, and there are only a few animals that can kill them. The two most known predator species of binturongs are dholes and tigers, and another one is snakes. At the same time, birds of prey and small carnivores are also threats to their young cubs.
The population decline of a binturong has made them Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Some of the major threats are deforestation, forest conversion, forest degradation, and habitat loss. In some countries, binturongs are also captured for wildlife trade and human consumption because their meat is considered a delicacy.
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