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Binturong
The Binturong is in the family Viveridae, betterly known as
Arctictis Binturong. The average Binturong weighs 30-40 lbs. and
is about five and a half feet from nose to tip of tail.
Binturongs are tree dwelling animals. Their tails are strong and
can be used to grab onto branches to keep their balance when in
trees. their arms and legs are short and strong. They have a
glossy coat that is thick and course. It is also pretty long.
Their ears are round and covered in gray fur, but their fur goes
up at a point making them look like they have pointed ears. Their
faces are covered by gray fur. Their eyes are golden brown and
whiskers are white. Their feet have strong claws for climbing.
they are usually slow animals, but they can be pretty quick when
they need to be.
Binturongs can breed any time of the year with a gestation
period of 81-99. They can have between one and six young, but
usually only have two. Babies are weaned at six to eight weeks
and can reproduce at about two and a half years old. Binturongs
are long lived in captivity.
In Captivity
Binturongs are very interesting animals in captivity. they do
not make very good house pets because of their size, poor toilet
habits, and odor. Binturongs give off a weird musky smell that is
similar to popcorn or warm corn bread. The musk will make
everything that comes in contact with it smell like it. It is not
repulsive, but is quite overwhelming in a closed environment.
Most people feed their Binturongs fruit, vitamins, chicken twice
a week and the occasional hard boiled egg. Cooked carrots and
Sweet potatoes are well liked also. Some people keep dry dog food
around as a free choice.
All Binturongs need a place to nest and a place to climb,
like a wooden box or a shelf. Binturongs are very strong and any
kept as companions need to be declawed and spayed or neutered.
Binturongs also can become moody during breeding season and can
sometimes bite or threaten. Not all do that, but the possibility
is still there.
In the Wild
Binturongs are nocturnal, night-time animals. They can be
found in Burma, possibly Nepal, Indochina, Malay peninsula,
Sumatra, Bangka, Java, Rhio Archipelago, Borneo, and Palawan.
They live in dense forests. the natural habitat for the Binturong
is in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Palawan Islands.
Binturongs are the relatives of the civet and the mongoose.
This slow moving and relatively inoffensive animal has the only
fully prehensile tail of any old world true mammal (only one
other carnivore has developed such a fully prehensile tail, the
Kinkajou of South America).When it is resting it usually lays
with it's head curled up under it's tail.
The Binturong has developed fruit eating habits and is a
major seed dispersing species. It will also, occasionally, eat
rodents and thus performs pest control. The is endangered in the
wild due to habitat erosion and use in the aphrodisiac trade.
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