Binturong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Binturong |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: |
Paradoxurinae
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| Genus: |
Arctictis
Temminck, 1824
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| Species: |
A. binturong
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| Binomial name | |
| Arctictis binturong (Raffles, 1821)
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A binturong (Arctictis binturong) is a large, furry animal that lives in trees. You can find them in the thick forests of Southeast Asia. People often call the binturong a bearcat because it looks a bit like a bear and a bit like a cat!
What Does a Binturong Look Like?
Binturongs have thick, black fur. They also have a long, strong tail and long, stiff, white whiskers. Their tail is very special because it can grab things, almost like another hand. Young binturongs can even hang upside down by their tail! These animals can grow to be about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, including their tail.
Like other animals in their family, called civets, binturongs use special scents to talk to each other. This helps them communicate about their territory or to find mates. In zoos, binturongs can live for about 30 years.
What Do Binturongs Eat?
Binturongs mostly eat fruit. They also hunt for small animals. They use their excellent sense of smell to find their food. Binturongs are nocturnal, which means they hunt and are most active at night while most other animals are sleeping.
Related pages
Images for kids
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This is a binturong skull and its teeth, from an old book called Histoire naturelle des mammifères.
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A binturong skeleton on display at the Museum of Osteology.
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A binturong caught on camera at a feeding spot in a tiger reserve. It was eating fruit from a Ficus tree.
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A young binturong that was kept as a pet by the Orang Asli people in Malaysia.
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A binturong living at the Cincinnati Zoo.
_camera_trapped_at_a_feeding_platform_on_a_fruiting_Ficus_at_Pakke_tiger_reserve.JPG)
