Binturong
The binturong (Arctictis binturong), or bearcat, is a shaggy, black, tree-dwelling mammal of South and Southeast Asia, with a strong prehensile tail. It smells like buttered popcorn and is listed as Vulnerable.
The binturong (Arctictis binturong), or bearcat, is a shaggy, black, tree-dwelling mammal of South and Southeast Asia, with a strong prehensile tail. It smells like buttered popcorn and is listed as Vulnerable.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Binturong in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Evolutionary lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
The Popcorn Smell
Binturongs mark their territory with scent glands, and the odor includes a compound (2-acetyl-1-pyrroline) that is also the main aroma of popcorn and cooked basmati rice. Keepers often notice the smell around their enclosures.
A Tail That Grips
One of the few carnivores with a prehensile tail, the binturong uses it as a fifth limb to climb through the canopy. It can rotate its hind feet backward to descend headfirst.
Fig Eaters and Seed Dispersers
Despite being a carnivoran, it eats mostly fruit, especially figs. It is important for dispersing seeds of strangler figs. See Banyan Tree.
Binturong at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Arctictis binturong |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Suborder | Feliformia |
| Family | Viverridae |
| Field Guide group | Evolutionary Oddities (Unique & Disputed Lineages) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Shaggy, black-furred Southeast Asian canopy climber known as the 'bearcat', equipped with a muscular prehensile tail and scent glands that emit a warm, buttery popcorn aroma (2-acetyl-1-pyrroline). |
| IUCN Red List status | Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2016 |
| Family | Viverridae |
See Also
- Banyan Tree — a fig tree
- Red Panda — another tree-living Asian mammal