Wondering what on earth this creature with such a tongue- twisting name is? If you think it is either a small bear or a wild cat going by its looks, you are wrong; it’s neither. It is a relative of the fossa (yet another unusual looking animal we featured recently) and belongs to the family of Viverridae which includes civets and genets.

The binturong, the only Old World mammal is also known as the Asian bear cat, Pelawan bear cat or simply bear cat. It is also known as the Malay civet cat. This creature, which is endearing in appearance due to its unusual mix of features, is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, India, Laos, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It lives in the forest canopy of the rainforests.

The reason it is popularly known as a bear cat is its cat-like face and bear-like body. The binturong’s chubby body is covered with long, shaggy, black fur and the tail which is muscular at the base is prehensile (gripping). A leathery patch at the tip of the tail helps it to grip. The binturong is one of two carnivore with a prehensile tail. The other is an animal called the kinkajou.

The burly binturong has small round ears with long tufts of hair on them, somewhat like those of koalas. Its eyes too are small and reddish-brown in colour. The white whiskers on its snout are stiff. The head to body length of an average adult is 60-96 cm (24-28 inch) while the tail is almost the length of the body - about 55-90 cm (22-36 inch) long. The weight is 9-14 kg (20-31 lbs). Females are about 20 per cent bigger than the males.

This Old World Mammal which belongs to the genus Arctictis may be omnivorous, but eats fruits primarily. However, its diet include seeds, shoots, leaves, eggs and small mammals like rodents and birds. It is known to be the only animal capable of digesting the seed coat of the Strangler Fig, an important tree in the rainforests.

As it lives mostly on trees in the forest canopy, it is good at climbing and leaping. It uses its bushy prehensile tail and claws to cling on to branches when leaping from tree to tree. It has the ability to rotate backwards the ankles on its hind legs in order to get a better grip with its claws when coming down trees; head first.

The binturong has a flat-footed walk like a bear or human. When moving on the ground it ambles(moves along) much like a bear. It is often confused with sloths due to its slow movements on trees.

Typically, the female gives birth to one or two offspring after a gestation (pregnancy) period of 91 days even though it can have up to six young in one litter. The offspring are born with sealed eyes and generally stay inside the mum’s thick fur during the first few days. The weight at birth is about five ounces (142 gr). After being nursed for six to eight weeks, they start to eat solids. These cute bear-like creatures reach maturity when they are about three years old.

Researchers claim that when the animal is content it makes a chuckling sound, like how cats purr when they are feeling good. A high-pitched wail is made when it is annoyed. Apart from these sounds, it also uses grunts, low growls and hissing sounds to communicate with each other or warn other animals.

The tail too plays a key role in communication. It has been observed that the binturong brushes its bushy tail which has a scent gland underneath, against trees and howls to announce its presence to others. The musk smell from this gland is likened to the smell of warm popcorn or corn bread.

Even though this creature, like many others, does an important job in the forest helping in controlling pests and spreading seeds (for replanting) through its faecal matter, its existence is threatened due to deforestation and also hunting. Some keep them as pets. In captivity they live for 20 years or even more.

Today, the binturong too is facing the threat of extinction. It has been classified as vulnerable in some parts and endangered in others within its range of habitat.

Will we lose yet another animal friend from our planet soon? No one knows what this little creature’s fate would be.