What is binturong?

Binturongs are night carnivores living in the rainforests of Southeast Asia and are related to lassism, skunks and mongoosis. They live on trees and are rarely visible in the wild because they feed at night. These mammals are also called Malaysian Civet cats and Asian bears because of their faces similar cats and bodies similar to a bear. White beards contribute to a similar animal. When Binturong stands upright, it inflates its hair, which looks like a hairy bear coat in shades of black, brown and gray. These strong, coarse hair protects the animal from too damping and from injuries caused by sharp branches in the rainforest.

Binturong is one of the two carnivores with a prehensile tail, which usually extends to his body. He uses his tail to grasp branches as he travels through crowns in search of food. Although binturong is classified as a carnivore, it generally prefers fruit, especially figs, in the wild. Also Jiri, rodents, fish and birds. In captivity, the animal is usuallyFeed with high quality dog ​​food, supplemented by bananas, grapes and other fruit.

One of the most striking features of binturongs is the odor emitted from the gland under their tails. It was described as smelling like corn chips or freshly popped popcorn. The odor warns other binturongs when it is in the area and is used in mating. When the tails pull along the branches, the smell remains behind.

This mammal also produces several sounds, including growl when the predators approach. Zookeepers states that when Binturong seems satisfied, it makes a sound similar to Guffaw or laughter. It could also be hissing, grunting, snorting and melting the sound of howling.

binturongs grow 2 to 3 feet long (60 to 90 cm) and can weigh up to £ 60 (27 kg) in adulthood. Binturongs live in the wild, but usually live longer in captivity. Females are growing and weighing more than men and they are povezalived behind the dominant sex of the species. Binturongs play an important role in rainforests, because their droppings carry seeds that complement the life of plants.

These animals are able to breed at any time, but another rare feature occurs only in binturongs. The woman has the ability to withhold the sperm of a man so that the offspring can be born when the weather is optimal, timing of fertilization for the best 90 -day period of pregnancy. The female bear between one and six offspring that hides in the mother's hair for several days after birth because they are born with closed eyes.

binturongs are captured in Asia by poachers who sell their parts of the body as meat or for use in Chinese medicine. Meat is considered an aphrodisiac in some cultures. They are also hunted and sold as pets in the Philippines.