Been a while since I did an animal post.  I’ve been saving this animal for a while.  Learned about him when my son wanted to repeatedly see these videos of Conan O’Brien having animals on his old show.  Watched multiple times before bed.  It’s stayed in my mind ever since because of the above mentioned fact.  So, what is a binturong?

They are also called bearcats because they do look like a bear mixed with a cat. You can find them in South and Southeast Asia.  As you can tell from their nickname, they are very hairy, but they aren’t huge.  A binturong’s most distinguishing figure is its prehensile tail, which is as long as the head and body.  This helps them move about trees, which they do slowly and with no leaping.  In captivity, they have been observed climbing upside down with a lot of skill.

As far as endangered status, the binturong is VULNERABLE.  Their biggest threat is habitat destruction caused by deforestation.  In some areas, the forests are cut down for plantations, which they do not stay in like other animals in the region.  This is very bad in China, which has them listed as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.  Binturong are also poached to be used for their fur, meat, and put on display in caged animal shows.  Many countries have restricted hunting of these animals, but the biggest help is an expansive breeding program through zoos across the world.

So, what are some curious facts?

• The big one is that they do smell like buttered popcorn or corn chips.  This is due to their scent glands, which give off a compound that gives some freshly baked breads their smell.
• To help with climbing, they can rotate their hind legs backwards, which allows them to climb down headfirst.
• Binturong are omnivores, but they lack a lot of predatory attributes.  So, they eat primarily fruits and vegetables with meat being meals of opportunity.
• They are considered seed dispersal agents for the strangler fig because they can get through the tough outer covering.
• It is believed that females can delay implantation of an embryo.  So, they have sex with a male and can time the birth of their young.
• World Binturong Day is always the second Saturday of May.
• The Orang Asil of Peninsular Malaysia keep binturong as pets.  This group is the oldest indigenous population of the area.
• Their closest relatives are civets, mongooses, and foosa.
• There are 9 subspecies of binturong, which are mostly similar except for location and small differences in size.
• Females are 20% bigger than males.
• Since they are too heavy to leap, binturong need to climb down to the ground to get to other trees.  This is why they prefer dense forests where branches are knitted together.
• They are usually solitary, but groups have been found with a dominant female as the leader.
• They chuckle when happy and wail if angry.
• Very young binturong are able to spray a foul liquid when in danger.  They do this until they grow bigger and stronger, which usually takes a few months.

So, let’s got to the Google Images and videos.