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Binturong
Size:The tail is nearly as long as the head and body, which ranges from 71 to 84 cm; the tail is 66 to 69 cm long.
Weight:11 to 32 kg
Colouring:The muzzle is short and pointed, somewhat turned up at the nose, and is covered with bristly brown hairs at the points, which lengthen as they diverge, and form a peculiar radiated circle round the face. The eyes are large, black and prominent. The ears are short, rounded, edged with white, and terminated by tufts of black hair. There are six short rounded incisors in each jaw, two fangs, which are long and sharp, and six molars on each side. The hair on the legs is short and of a yellowish tinge. The feet are five-toed, with large strong claws; the soles are bare, and applied to the ground throughout the whole of their length; the hind ones are longer than the fore.

Binturong

(Arctictis binturong)

Description:
Binturongs belong to the family of Viverridae, which is commonly referred to as civets. They are cats, but actually look more like bears, hence their second name ‘bearcats’. Their body is long with relatively short legs and their fur consists of thick, black hair. They have a long tail that helps them balance when climbing a tree. On the IUCN red list they are classified as ‘vulnerable’ and they are very shy, which makes it extremely difficult to spot them in the wild. They can be active during the day and also during the night.

Did you know...?

Binturongs are very skilled climbers and are able to climb down a vertical tree without losing their balance.

Diet:
Binturongs are omnivore, which means they like to feed on a variety of different foods, such as small mammals, birds, insects, fruits or even fish and earthworms. However in reality they will mostly eat plant material like vegetables and fruits, because they don’t have a strong hunting instinct and therefore often don’t have access to other foods than that. Figs are a major component in their diet.

Habitat:Binturongs inhabit tall forest with a lot of tree cover all over South East Asia, including Thailand. They inhabit various types of environments ranging from primary evergreen rainforest to secondary lowland forest or even grassland forest. They are arboreal and prefer to forage and sleep high above the ground in the trees.

Reproduction:
the trees. Reproduction: Binturongs have a gestation period of 91 days, after which two to six offspring will be born. They reach sexual maturation at the age of 2.5 and are fertile until they are about 15 years old. In captivity they can live up to the age of 25.

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