Binturong

Arctictis binturong

Description:

Also called the bearcat, the binturong is neither a bear nor a cat; the real meaning of the original name has been lost, as the local language that gave it that name is now extinct. It is a carnivore but largely prefers fruit. It is important to the rain forest, where part of the forest canopy is formed by the strangler fig; this animal can digest the strangler fig, which is necessary for the fruit to germinate. It is a nocturnal animal that sleeps on tree branches. The binturong’s prehensile tail is quite large. The IUCN now lists the binturong as vulnerable, both because of the destruction of its forest habitats and hunting for the wildlife trade. In the USA, you can find them for sale on the Internet for up to $6000 per animal.

Habitat:

Carolina Tiger Rescue exotic animal sanctuary

Species ID Suggestions

10 Comments

Maria dB 11 years ago

Thanks, Janelle! They are very cute and gentle despite those big claws!

JanelleL.Streed 11 years ago

I first heard about these fellows on the David Letterman Show: Jack Hanna's Animals. That's so cool you got to see one live and in person! Love these!!

Maria dB 11 years ago

Thanks, Rieko, Stian, Emily, Leanne and Yuko. Their natural habitat is the rain forests of Southeast Asia (not as pets in the USA!). They are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

YukoChartraw 11 years ago

Fascinating! I've never seen/known this animal, either. Thank you for sharing!
Which area of the world is their natural habitat? It's a tragedy when some species goes extinct (I don't mean this one), but it is as sad when the local language goes extinct... :-(