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8 Fun Facts

Binturong

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Binturongs have long, low, stocky bodies covered with coarse, shaggy black fur tipped in gray, so they sometimes appear speckled.

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A happy binturong may chuckle, but an irritated one will utter a high-pitched wail or growl fiercely.

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A leathery patch at the tip helps the tail grip the branches a binturong climbs through.

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Binturongs are primarily nocturnal and move slowly through their home in the trees to look for fruit.

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Although the binturong is also known as the 'bearcat', the species isn't related to cats or bears.

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The meaning of the word binturong is unknown.

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Binturong eats strangler fig and facilitates dispersal of this plant in the wild (via feces).

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Binturongs are omnivores and hunt small reptiles, birds, mammals, rodents, insects, carrion and plant shoots.