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Binturong with shaggy black fur and a long prehensile tail perched on a mossy branch in a misty rainforest with sunbeams

Binturong: Facts, Photos & Why It’s So Strange

Arctictis binturong

Looks like a bear. Smells like popcorn.

It’s called a bearcat, but it’s neither a bear nor a cat. It has a tail that works like a fifth hand, whiskers like a walrus – and it smells exactly like warm buttered popcorn. No, really. Scientists checked.

Binturong vs. you

Your height ft in5 ft 7 in

Quick facts

Size
24–38 in
Body 24–38 in (60–96 cm), plus a tail almost as long
Weight
20–44 lb
20–44 lb (9–20 kg)
Lifespan
~18 years
About 18 years; more than 25 in zoos
Left in the wild
Unknown
Unknown – and falling

Conservation status

  1. Least Concern
  2. Near Threatened
  3. Vulnerable (this animal)
  4. Endangered
  5. Critically Endangered
  6. Extinct in the Wild
  7. Extinct

Vulnerable

Superpowers

  • Venomous : Is it venomous? No
  • Glows : Does it glow? No
  • Regenerates limbs : Can it regenerate limbs? No

Identity

Scientific name
Arctictis binturong
Class
Mammal (civet family)
First described
1821, by Stamford Raffles

Life & family

Diet
Mostly fruit, especially figs, plus eggs, birds and small animals
Gestation
About 3 months
Offspring
Usually 1–3 cubs
Predators
Few – tigers and leopards, occasionally

Where to find it

Habitat
Tall tropical rainforest, high in the trees
Lives in
South and Southeast Asia
In the wild
Hard – it’s shy and mostly active at night
In zoos
Yes – many zoos keep them

Explore similar

Why is this animal unusual?

The popcorn smell comes from its urine. It contains the very same chemical that forms when popcorn is heated. The binturong soaks its feet and tail in it and leaves a scent trail wherever it climbs.

Why does it look like that?

Shaggy black fur, ear tufts and a thick muscular tail that can grip branches. It’s one of only two meat-eating mammals in the world with a tail like that.

Strangest biological feature

Ankles that turn backwards. It can rotate its back feet 180 degrees and walk down a tree trunk head-first.

Why is it strange?

Females are bigger than males and run the show. They’re also among the few mammals that can pause a pregnancy until conditions are right.

Interesting behavioral facts

It moves slowly and carefully through the canopy and spends much of the day asleep on a branch.

Records held

The binturong is a key gardener of the rainforest: it’s one of the few animals able to digest the tough coat of strangler fig seeds, so it spreads them around.

Binturong with black shaggy fur and white whiskers gripping a moss-covered branch in a lush green rainforest

Binturong: quick answers

Why does a binturong smell like popcorn?

Its urine contains 2-AP, the same chemical that gives popcorn its smell. The binturong soaks its feet and tail in it and leaves a scent trail wherever it climbs.

Is a binturong a bear or a cat?

Neither. It belongs to the civet family (Viverridae), a group of small carnivores found in Asia and Africa.

Can you keep a binturong as a pet?

It’s a bad idea. Binturongs are large, strong wild animals that need lots of space and can bite. In most countries you need a special permit.

Where do binturongs live?

In the tall tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia, high in the trees.

Know someone who needs to see this?

Send them the Binturong. They'll thank you. Probably.

Photos & videos