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Well, take a look! They're actually related to civets. Much like their relatives, they are omnivorous, but their diet relies heavily on fruit.

In fact, it relies heavily on a specific kind of fruit. Figs! A recent study found that their diet consists of nearly 90% fig consumption, and their movement patterns suggest that they follow the availability of fig trees. This makes them vital to dispersing fig seeds, a key component to the diets of many other animals in the forest ecosystems! This finding is new, and one of the first major efforts to look at diet and movement relations in the species. In turn, it has identified a major role the binturongs play in their ecosystems!

Source: Nakabayashi, M., Ahmad, A.H. Short-term movements and strong dependence on figs of binturongs (Arctictis binturong) in Bornean rainforests. Eur J Wildl Res 64, 66 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-018-1232-8

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If you find yourself staring at a terrifying dark creature with glowing eyes, I hope you're in a rainforest in Southeast Asia- because then, it's a good chance you stumbled upon a bearcat! Otherwise, run.

Unfortunately, binturong populations have declined more than 30% over the last 30 years due largely to deforestation, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. This has led to their classification as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and no population estimate readily available.

There are several subspecies throughout their ranges, and molecular work is being done to decide if these are genetically divergent enough to become their own species.

Source: Semiadi, Gono & Ross, Joanna & Hearn, Andrew & Hearn, Andrew & Heydon, Matthew & Samejima, Hiromitsu & Mathai, John & Augeri, D. & Fredriksson, Gabriella & Lim, Norman & Rustam, Rustam & Mohamed, Azlan & Boonratana, Ramesh & Brodie, Jedediah & Giordano, Anthony & Nakashima, Yoshihiro & van Berkel, Tim & Hon, Jason & Loken, Brent & Wilting, Andreas. (2016). Predicted distribution of the binturong Arctictis binturong (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) on Borneo. The Raffles bulletin of zoology. 33. 96-102.

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They smell like popcorn. Probably because they're soaked in pee.

But seriously, among their weirdest anatomical features includes a chemical compound associated with chemical scent "marking" for social behavior. The chemical responsible is "2-Acetyl-1-Pyroline," also known as 2-AP. Both sexes contain it, particularly in their urine, but males have higher concentrations. These chemicals are thought to attribute to the binturong's ability to communicate, mostly in relation to reproduction since they are solitary in the wild.

Source: Greene, L.K., Wallen, T.W., Moresco, A. et al. Reproductive endocrine patterns and volatile urinary compounds of Arctictis binturong: discovering why bearcats smell like popcorn. Sci Nat 103, 37 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-016-1361-4

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It seems to be a running theme that any article geared for the general public pokes fun at the bearcat, by acting confused about what it is.

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Deep in the few remaining mature forests of the Philippines dwells an animal that defies easy explanation. It's a fuzzy creature, with the squat body of a wolverine and the smirk of a raccoon. A prehensile tail with a bald patch helps the mammal lift its 50-pound body high into the tree canopy, and long, white whiskers give the furball the countenance of a woods wizard. Perhaps most intriguing of all, its anal gland secretions are said to smell like buttered popcorn. Mmmm.

What is this aromatic chimera? Why, it's a binturong. A binturong? Yes, also called a bearcat. A bearcat? Let me explain.

The binturong-a word nobody knows the meaning of, likely taken from a local language that has gone extinct-is a civet relative that used to be relatively common in forests all over Southeast Asia, from Nepal to Indonesia. Due to habitat destruction and the pet and wildlife trade, wild populations have plummeted, and sightings of the animal are exceedingly rare. It has a vulnerable designation from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and there's concern the binturong might someday disappear for good.

The people of the Philippine island of Palawan, however, are doing something about it. Just last month, Palawan set aside more than 100,000 acres of lush, pristine forest in the newly christened Cleopatra's Needle Critical Habitat -the largest such designation in the Philippines. The news comes after three years of work by various local and international organizations, including the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the Centre for Sustainability, Global Wildlife Conservation, the Rainforest Trust, and the Amphibian Survival Alliance. Importantly, the refuge isn't just a boon for wildlife. All seven local communities of the Batak tribe, a small population of hunter-gathers who rely on this forest for nearly all of their needs, have signed on in support of the refuge.

"These are the stewards of the forest," Robin Moore, communications director for Global Wildlife Conservation, says of the Batak people, "and it would be wrong to create a protected area without full engagement from them."

The Bataks are still allowed to hunt for subsistence in Cleopatra's Needle, but that privilege is theirs and theirs only. The refuge will not permit other local, nonindigenous people to extract resources from the forest. Additionally, the arrangement includes eco-tourism training for some of the Bataks.

It's Thursday. And it's just another day in the life of Arctictis binturong. #mammalwatching pic.twitter.com/ilRkQzy7uQ
- erin poor (@ee_poor) December 1, 2016

Helping a struggling species by preserving its habitat is always a good idea, but in the case of the bearcats, it's downright crucial. Binturongs cannot survive without primary forests, says Pauline Kayser, president of Arctictis Binturong Conservation, the only organization dedicated solely to these nocturnal tree-dwellers.

Binturongs feel safest when they're traipsing 50 feet or more off the ground. That's also where most of their food is. Fruit, shoots, insects, eggs-the canopy is a bearcat smorgasbord. This is why it's rare, Kayser says, to catch a glimpse of one in a secondary forest―that is, a forest that's grown up after a disturbance like logging or farming. Such terrain just doesn't support the same kind of canopy biodiversity and structure necessary for binturong success.

This is a particular problem for the binturong subspecies on Palawan, A. b. whitei, which has lost half its forest cover. Island-dwelling populations, including Palawan's and one called A. b. kerkhoveni on the Indonesian island of Bangka, could even be in danger, simply because they have nowhere else to go.

Kayser says that binturongs have also become popular in the Asian pet trade over the past five years. Their fur, meat, and even penis bones can fetch high prices in countries like Laos, where such things are considered delicacies or ingredients in crackpot medicine. In some areas binturongs are captured alongside their civet cousins in order to produce kopi luwak, a gourmet coffee produced from the coffee bush that has been eaten (along with the bean) and pooped out by the animals. (Appetizing, right? Don't scoff; it sells for $227 a pound.)

Moore, who is also a conservation biologist, author, and ace photographer, first visited the Cleopatra's Needle area in 2014. While he regrets never seeing a binturong or sniffing that popcorn scent, he beautifully describes the soundscape that has been saved:

We camped overnight inside the forest beside a cool stream. As the light was sucked from the forest it was as if the volume was turned up to 11, as the occasional bird call was replaced by the whir of insects and the calls of frogs, drowning out the gurgle of running water.

The only thing missing from that reverie is a binturong's beautiful, ill-tempered hiss. A bearcat, indeed.
onEarth provides reporting and analysis about environmental science, policy, and culture. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of NRDC. Learn more or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Save the Binturong! Wait―What's a Binturong?

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Deep in the few remaining mature forests of the Philippines dwells an animal that defies easy explanation. It's a fuzzy creature, with the squat body of a wolverine and the smirk of a raccoon. A prehensile tail with a bald patch helps the mammal lift its 50-pound body high into the tree canopy, and long, white whiskers give the furball the countenance of a woods wizard.

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Articles for the general public typically refer to the binturong as "strange," "unusual," and try to conceptualize it's existence by referring to it as a mix of creatures- like a "hybrid bear and cat." While the impact of this is unclear, the press is seldom bad.

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On Oct. 18, 2019, officials received some rather curious reports of an unidentified animal in Klang, Malaysia.

Reports of a bear in the village

According to a Facebook post by the Malaysian Civil Defence Force of Hulu Selangor district, residents of the village had called in with reports of a "bear" in the vicinity.

Officials were then sent down to the site to investigate.

Photos taken at the site show the dark, furry creature outside what appears to be a resident's house, clambering atop the racks and furniture.

It almost resembles some sort of hybrid of a bear and a cat, with its long tail and face resembling that of a bear.

Baited with bananas

Officials then used bananas to coax the creature into a cage, and it was successfully caught after 30 minutes.

It will reportedly be turned over to Malaysia's department of wildlife (Perhilitan) for further action.

What is a binturong?

The peculiar animal was actually a binturong, also known as a bearcat.

Binturongs are closely related to civets, of which one species, the Common palm civet, is native to Singapore.

Binturongs can be found in numerous countries throughout Southeast Asia, and is native to Malaysia. They are unfortunately, not found in Singapore.

Selangor's Malaysian Civil Defence Force stated this was the first time they had responded to a sighting of a binturong.

The species is arboreal (tree-dwelling) and spends most of its time in the canopy, using its prehensile tail to hunt for fruits, insects and occasionally small birds or rodents.

These nocturnal creatures are most comfortable in the treetops, and amble around awkwardly when on the ground.

Interestingly, the perfumed secretions binturongs use to mark their territory have a smell similar to buttered popcorn, according to .

Little is known about binturongs in the wild, and they are classified as " vulnerable " by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

They currently face threats from habitat loss from logging, as well as hunting. They are also captured to be sold for their meat, and as pets in the illegal wildlife trade.
Top photo from APM Daerah Hulu Selangor / FB
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Peculiar 'bear-cat' creature spotted in M'sia, officials lure it into cage with bananas

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On Oct. 18, 2019, officials received some rather curious reports of an unidentified animal in Klang, Malaysia. According to a Facebook post by the Malaysian Civil Defence Force of Hulu Selangor district, residents of the village had called in with reports of a "bear" in the vicinity.

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This is a photo of me getting nibbled on by one at my neighbor's house in the Philippines in 2013. It's hard to forget an animal that smells like popcorn, especially when it nibbles you instead of vice versa. Looking back, it was likely that this animal was trafficked in an illegal pet trade before I got to meet it. I know now that interactions between humans and wildlife are not worth the stability of the wild animal's population, even though many captive binturongs are used to profit off these interactions.

Of notable interest, this was a bearcat in the Philippines. There was some contingency about the species status of the Palawan bearcat, and a recent study identified these as descendants from the Borneo population that had dispersed to the Philippines. They've since been demoted to their own subspecies as a consequence of this research.

Source: Géraldine Veron, Agathe Debruille, Pauline Kayser, Desamarie Antonette P Fernandez, Aude Bourgeois, Genetic diversity and structure of the binturong Arctictis binturong (Carnivora: Viverridae) – status of the elusive Palawan binturong and implications for conservation, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 188, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 302–318, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz100

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Roads have been a major threat to Binturongs. Beyond immediate impacts through vehicle collisions, the roads fragment habitat and provide easy access for poachers to enter the forest and collect these animals for the pet trade.

Despite knowing their populations are in decline, there are no real management efforts in place to preserve these animals. They're Critically Endangered in China, and protected in Malaysia, but no population monitoring efforts are taking place. There's no known control for harvest management, no conservation sites identified for the species, nor any regional based plans in place. Most protections are simply a consequence of protected areas. In captivity, there is a push for captive breeding programs, but no tangible efforts to exclusively breed individuals from the same clades/areas of origin, and an extremely low pool for genetics.

Thus, the question arises- why are we planning for re-release of captive individuals with poor, muddy genetics, rather than conserving the unknown numbers we have left in the wild? In-situ conservation should be explored for the species, beginning with population monitoring to understand exactly what we're working with.

Source: Cosson, L. & Jr, L. & Zubaid, Akbar & Subramaniam, Vellayan & Tillier, A. & Veron, Geraldine & Grassman, L.. (2007). Genetic diversity of captive binturongs (Arctictis binturong, Viverridae, Carnivora): Implications for conservation. Journal of Zoology. 271. 386 - 395. 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00209.x.