Animal That Looks Like a Bear With a Kangaroo Tail

Appearance

The binturong is sometimes given the name "bear true cat" because it has a face that looks like a cat and a body like a deport with long shaggy black hair, however they are not related to either fauna.

They accept strong white whiskers and a prehensile tail that can act similar a 5th hand and is almost as long as their body. Binturongs take lighter or silver coloured pilus on their face which makes them appear bigger to other animals. They have small rounded ears with long tufts of pilus and small reddish brown eyes.

Binturongs are able to turn their ankles backwards so that their claws can however grip onto a tree when they are climbing down a tree headfirst.

The average length of a binturong is 60 to xc cms (2 to three ft) with a tail length of sixty to 90 cms (2 to 3 ft) and the average weight is betwixt 9 to xiv kgs (20 -31 lbs).

Diet

Binturongs are omnivores and hunt small reptiles, birds, mammals, rodents, insects, carrion and plant shoots. A large proportion of their nutrition however is fabricated up of fruit.

Binturongs through their diet play a very important role in the forests where they are found. They assist spread seeds from the fruit that they swallow through their fecal matter, which helps to replant the rain wood. Besides considering they eat rodents they help to continue the pests downwardly..

Scientific Name

Arctictis binturong

Conservation Condition

Vulnerable

Length

sixty-90cm (ii-3ft)

Weight

9-14kg (20-31lbs)

Lifespan

20 years

Nutrition

Omnivorous

Range

The binturongs are found in southeast Asia occurring in Thailand, Indochina, Myanmar, Philippines, Sumatra, Java, Nepal, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, People's republic of bangladesh, Bhutan, Borneo and Malaysia.

Habitat

Their habitat is tropical rainforests, high forests and jungles.

Binturongs are now classified as vulnerable mainly due to habitat devastation and poaching for their fur and their meat. Their body parts are also used in some traditional medicines and they are sometimes captured for pets.

Reproduction

Mating can take identify at whatsoever time of the twelvemonth as the female person binturong is one of but a few mammals that can experience delayed implantation which ways that the female is able to time when her young are born. She will give birth to them when the environmental atmospheric condition are at their best.

The females are bigger and heavier than the males and are the dominant sex in the species.

After a gestation menses of 84 to 92 days the female person will give birth normally to i or 2 babies but there may be up to 6. The immature are born with their eyes closed and weigh most 150-300 grams, they stay subconscious in their mothers fur for the first few days. They brainstorm to consume solid foods at about half dozen to 8 weeks.

They are sexually mature at about two and a half years of historic period.

Beliefs

Binturongs climb copse and leap from branch to branch using its tail and claws to hang on with while information technology looks for food. They are primarily nocturnal creatures that sleep in tree branches during the twenty-four hours and look for nutrient at night.

They mark their territory by using a odour to communicate with other binturongs that this is their territory. The binturong has a unique scent that smells like cooked buttered popcorn, the odor comes from an oil gland nether the tail that puts the scent out when they drag their tail through the branches of the trees. The scent communicates to other binturongs that may be looking for a mate or if they are a trespasser to exit the territory.

They also make lots of noises to communicate with each other, they will brand a chuckling sound if they are happy and will permit out a high pitched wail if they are unhappy. Some of the other sounds that they make are hisses, growls and grunts.

Binturongs can be vicious if they are cornered.

The binturong has very few predators. Ii animals which may prey on them are the dhole or the tiger.

Quick facts

The existent meaning of the binturongs name is not known because the language that its proper name came from is now extinct.

The binturong has a unique scent that smells similar buttered popcorn.

They are i of the few carnivores which have a prehensile tail.

They are able to turn their ankles backwards so that their claws can still grip the trees when they are climbing down headfirst.

Binturongs are also known as Asian acquit cats and Malay civet cats.

Photo Credits

References

Willcox, D.H.A., Chutipong, W., Grey, T.N.Eastward., Cheyne, Due south., Semiadi, G., Rahman, H., Coudrat, C.N.Z., Jennings, A., Ghimirey, Y., Ross, J., Fredriksson, G. & Tilker, A. 2016. Arctictis binturong. The IUCN Ruby Listing of Threatened Species 2016: eastward.T41690A45217088. https://dx.doi.org/ten.2305/IUCN.United kingdom.2016-one.RLTS.T41690A45217088.en . Downloaded on 27 April 2022.

Schleif, M. 2013. "Arctictis binturong" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 27, 2022 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Arctictis_binturong/

Animals.sandiegozoo.org. 2022. Binturong | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants . [online] Available at: < https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/binturong > [Accessed 27 April 2022].