Despite having a face like a cat, a body like a bear, and sometimes being referred to as a Bearcat, the Binturong is neither a member of the cat or bear family! They are, in fact, related to civets and fossas.

The Binturong’s tail is very thick and muscular at the base, with the last third of it being prehensile - meaning they can use it like an extra hand whilst moving through the treetops! As youngsters, they have been known to hang upside-down from branches by only their tails! However, as they get older and heavier, they tend to lose this ability. They are the only Old World Mammal - and one of only two carnivores - with a prehensile tail (the other is the Kinkajou). 

Binturongs spend much of their time in the trees; however, they are not as agile as some of the other animals which live there, so they have to climb down to the ground to travel from one tree to the next. Like bears and humans, they walk flat-footed, ambling their way through the foliage; unlike bears and humans, they have the remarkable ability to turn their ankles 180 degrees, enabling them to climb down trees head-first without their claws losing grip!

Binturongs are territorial. They leave their scent to let others know that they are trespassing, to discourage predators, and to attract a mate. Binturongs are also very vocal, and are known to snort and chuckle when happy.

The female Binturong are 20% larger than males, and are the dominant sex of the species. She is one of very few species in the world which can control when her young are born, via a method called “delayed implantation”. This means that she can breed at any point of the year, yet time giving birth for when environmental conditions are good. Sometimes the male will stay with the female after mating, and even after she has given birth. Babies are born with their eyes sealed shut, and hide within their mother’s fur. At around 6-to-8 weeks, they begin to explore and eat solid food.

Binturongs have great vision in the dark and light, so can be active any time of the day, although they generally prefer to sleep through the day and wake at night to forage. They are classed as carnivores, probably because they will eat almost anything they can get a hold of, though they normally favour fruit. They are skilled hunters, and will often leap to snatch food from the air.

They are decent swimmers, and have long shaggy coats to keep their skin dry. They groom themselves much in a similar fashion to cats - licking and nibbling at their fur, and using their front paws to clean their face. They sharpen their claws on tree trunks.

Binturongs are essential to the health of the forests of which they live, helping spread seeds from the fruits they have eaten as they defecate; furthermore, they aid in pest control, as they prey on rodents and other small animals.

The original language which used the word Binturong is now extinct; consequently, the original meaning of the name is unknown.

CAPTURE HIGHLIGHT