Greetings Friends of Timbavati Wildlife Park and welcome to this week’s blog post. This week we are celebrating a new addition to TImbavati Wildlife Park in 2016, the Binturong. The Binturong or Bearcat as it is referred to is a member of the Viverridae family. This animal family doesn’t include bears or cats but it is closer to the mongoose and civets.
The Binturong is native to Southeast Asia and is primarily a tree dweller. Binturongs live on a diet of mostly fruit but will also eat insects and birds. They are solitary animals living alone as adults and mark their territories with scent glands. A binturong’s scent is said to smell like buttered popcorn making it one of the more delicious smelling animals in the rain forest.
Binturongs remind me of the platypus. It has the face of a cat, body of a bear and the tail of a monkey which by the way is prehensile (can grab) making it a fifth appendage. Binturong grow to be anywhere from 3-4 feet and can weigh up to 30 pounds so they aren’t small creatures. Despite being larger mammals, a binturong can move up to 24 miles an hour with flat padded feet like a human’s or a bear’s.
A binturong’s most different feature is it’s ability to turn its paws around 180 degrees. This allows it to climb down trees head first. Due to it’s size binturongs can’t jump from tree to tree. They must climb up and down if they want to relocate.
The gestation period of the binturong is about 92 days and a mother will typically deliver two cubs. Female binturongs can delay the implantation of the embryo until environmental conditions are favorable for giving birth.
This Saturday is World Binturong Day 2016. The past 30 years have seen about a 30% reduction in the population and we encourage you to visit that link to learn more about the conservation efforts. Next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park take a minute to stop and welcome our new guests!
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