Jump to content

Binturong

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Binturong
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Subfamily:
Genus:
Arctictis

Temminck, 1824
Species:
A. binturong
Binomial name
Arctictis binturong
(Raffles, 1821)

A binturong (Arctictis binturong) is a large, rare mammal that lives in trees in the dense forests of southeast Asia. The binturong is also often called a bearcat because it looks like both a bear and a cat.[1]

Description

[change | change source]

Binturongs have thick, black fur, a long, muscular tail, and long, stiff, white whiskers. They use their prehensile tail almost like another hand; young binturongs can even hang by their tail. Binturongs grow to be up to about 5 feet (1.5 m) long. Like other civets, the binturongs use scent marks to communicate with other binturongs. In captivity, binturongs live for about 30 years.

Binturongs eat fruit and small animals that they find using their sense of smell to find food. They hunt for food at night - they are nocturnal.

[change | change source]

References

[change | change source]
  1. Mustelid Specialist Group (2008). "Arctictis binturong". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 2008-10-15.