Binturong

ANIMAL:
Binturong Arctictis binturong

Type of Animal:
Civet

Habitat:
Tropical forests, forested plains, hill forest, grassland-forest mosaic

Location(s):
Forested areas of S. China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh & Burma to Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, & The Philippines.

Appearance:
Black & furry w/ long, bushy prehensile tail used for hanging from trees, very noticeable whiskers & tufted ears.


Food/Diet:
Fruit, leaves, shoots, vegetables, nuts, birds, fish, carrion, small snakes, lizards, small mammals, insects & eggs. Favorite fruit is figs.


Status in Wild:
Threatened

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & wildlife centers

Lifestyle:
Solitary, male-female pairs, or family groups of a breeding pair w/ 1-3 sets of offspring. Usually 1-3 young born at a time.


Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young-Pup/Cub
Group-Pair

Weight:
Male-30-40 lbs
Female-40-60 lbs
Young-1.25-1.87 lbs

Gestation:
3 months

Height:
1.2 ft

Body Length:
Male-2 ft
Female-3 ft

Life Span:
15 years in wild, 20 years in captivity

Tail Length:
Male-2 ft
Female-3 ft

Main predators are tigers, large pythons, & clouded leopards. Smaller cats prey on young.

Threatened due to pet trade, deforestation, habitat loss, logging, & hunting for fur/meat/medicine trade.

Their seed droppings help plant the forest.

Sexually mature at 2 years.

They’re highly arboreal, living life in the trees.

They chuckle when happy, wail when angry/annoyed, snort when interested in something, & howl to mark territory.

They’re generally nocturnal.

They’re known to be good swimmers.

Pups stay w/ mom and sometimes, dad, for up to a year, sometimes longer.

Fun Fact(s):
Orang Asli tribe of Malaysia commonly keep them as pets.

One of only 2 carnivores with prehensile tail. (The other is the Kinkajou)

Female dominant over male & in fact, has enlarged enough clitoris known as “pseudo-penis.”

Scent used to mark territory resembles that of buttered popcorn.

Known to be very affectionate animals, unless young are present or provoked. Mom & sometimes, dad, highly protective of young. They have a powerful bite.
 

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