What has a face like a cat, a body like a small bear, and a tail like a monkey? It's a binturong, also known as a bearcat. Binturongs have long, low, stocky bodies covered with coarse, shaggy black fur tipped in gray, so they sometimes appear speckled. Long ear tufts protrude from their small, rounded ears. Their faces have slightly lighter fur and stiff, white whiskers that can reach up to 8 inches long. They're robust animals, growing to be 2-3 feet long (double that if you include the tail) and between 25 and 50 pounds.

Binturongs live in the dense tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia and are not often spotted in the wild. They're currently classified as vulnerable, with populations declining more than 30 percent over the past 30 years. The main threats to binturongs are habitat destruction, hunting, and the wildlife trade.

Their secretive nature has kept many aspects of their behavior hidden until recently. Read on for my list of what makes the binturong so weird and wonderful.

1. Although the binturong is also known as the bearcat, it's not closely related to bears or cats. The binturong belongs to the Viverridae family, an ancient group of small- to medium-sized mammals found only in the Old World (eastern hemisphere). This family, which also contains civets and genets, is one of the most diverse of all carnivore families, covering 66 species distributed throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia.

2. The meaning of the word binturong is unknown. The language it was derived from is now extinct.

3. Binturongs are in the order Carnivora, but they mostly eat fruit. In the wild, they eat a varied diet which can include carrion, eggs, plant shoots and leaves, small invertebrates, fish, birds, small mammals, and fruits like the strangler fig (Ficus altissima). In captivity, a binturong could enjoy dog food, leaf-eater biscuits, ground meat, carrots, yams, tomatoes, apples, bananas, and — their favorite, according to the San Diego Zoo — grapes.

4. They smell like buttered popcorn. Like other members of the Viverridae family, the binturong has scent glands, which are located just under its tail. As it moves about, the binturong drags its tail, marking branches and foliage in its territory. To humans, the smell is reminiscent of buttered popcorn, but to other binturongs it communicates that the area is occupied and they should move along. It can also help male and female binturongs find each other when they want to mate.

Photo by Tassilo Rau, distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

5. Binturongs also make lots of noises to communicate. A happy binturong may chuckle, but an irritated one will utter a high-pitched wail or growl fiercely. On the prowl, it may periodically produce a series of low grunts or a hissing sound made by expelling air through its partially opened lips. A female binturong in the mood for love will purr.

6. Binturongs live high in the forest canopy and rarely come down to the ground. They are excellent climbers, moving slowly and cautiously through tree branches, aided by strong feet with semi-retractable claws. Their hind legs can even rotate backwards so their claws still have a good grip when climbing down a tree head-first. Due to their large size, binturongs cannot leap between trees; they must climb down to the ground to move from one tree to another. Binturongs even sleep high in tree branches, curling up with their heads tucked under their tails.

7. They have prehensile tails. The binturong is the only Old World mammal and one of only two carnivores (the other is the kinkajou) with a prehensile tail. Its tail is almost as long as its body and acts like another limb when climbing. At the tip of the tail is a leathery patch for extra traction when gripping branches. The binturong's tail might be its most important climbing tool. Even when sleeping, its tail is anchored securely around a branch.

8. They walk like bears. Binturongs walk flat-footed, like bears and people. This results in an ambling, side-to-side gait.

9. Females can delay implantation of an embryo. Binturongs mate throughout the year, yet most births occur between January and March. Scientists think this means binturongs are one of the approximately 100 mammal species capable of delayed implantation. This allows them to mate whenever they encounter a male, but time the birth of their young to a season with favorable environmental conditions.

10. Binturongs have a special relationship with the strangler fig. Binturongs play an important role in their rainforest habitats by spreading the seeds from the fruits they eat in their droppings. This is especially true for seeds of the strangler fig, which cannot germinate without assistance. The binturong is one of only two known animals with digestive enzymes capable of softening the tough outer covering of the fig's seeds. This special relationship makes the binturong a keystone species in the rainforest ecosystem.

References and Other Resources

"Arctictis binturong" (On-line), Encyclopedia of Life. Accessed July 18, 2013 at eol.org/pages/328085/overview

Arivazhagan, C. and K. Thiyagesan (2001). Studies on the Binturongs (Arctictis binturong) in captivity at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur. Zoos' Print Journal 16 (1): 395–402.

"Binturong (Arctictis binturong)" (On-line), Arkive. Accessed July 18, 2013 at www.arkive.org/binturong/arctictis-binturong/

Colon, C. P. and Campos-Arceiz, A. (2013). The impact of gut passage by Binturongs (Arctictis binturong) on seed germination. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (1): 417–421.

Grassman Jr., L., M. Tewes, N. Silvy. 2005. Ranging, habitat use and activity patterns of binturong Arctictis binturong and yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula in north-central Thailand. Wildlife Biology, 11: 49-57.

Lambert, F. (1990). Some notes on fig-eating by arboreal mammals in Malaysia. Primates 31 (3): 453–458.

Schleif, M. 2013. "Arctictis binturong" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed July 18, 2013 at animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Arctictis_binturong/

Widmann, P., J. De Leon, J. Duckworth. 2008. "Arctictis binturong" (On-line). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed July 18, 2013 at www.iucnredlist.org/details/full/41690/0.