World Wildlife News

Sydney, Australia

May 30, 2007—No, a kitten and a bear cub didn’t get jumbled together using the machine from the 1986 horror flick The Fly. Indah, seen here, is actually an eight-week-old binturong on display at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. The fledgling—the first binturong bred in captivity at Taronga since the species went on display there in the 1950s—was introduced to her new enclosure on Wednesday, May 30.

Though they are often called bearcats because of their appearance, binturongs are actually tree-dwelling, nocturnal mammals more closely related to civets. Native to Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and Indonesia, binturongs are becoming increasingly rare as their forest habitat is cleared for timber and cropland.

Source: National Geographic

Common Name: Binturong
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Viverridae
Genus: Arctictis
Species: Binturong

Misc.: Viverridae can be found in southwestern Europe, southern Asia, the East Indies, Africa and Madagascar. The family consists of 36 genera and 71 species and includes Civets, Genets, Linsangs, Mongooses and Fossas.

Sub-Species: A. Binturong is a single species. There are no known sub-species.

Listen to Bearcat InfoAppearance: The Binturong gives the appearance of a cross between a bear and a cat, hence the nickname Bear Cat. They have elongated heads and pointed muzzles. They are the largest of the Viverrids. The fur is long and course, with the fur on the tail being even longer than that on the rest of the body. The hairs are black and lustrous, often with a gray or buff tip. The head is finely speckled with gray and buff, and the edges of the ears and whiskers are white. The ears have long hairs on the back that project beyond the tips and produce a fringed or tufted effect. The tail is extremely muscular, and the tip of the tail is prehensile. They have 5 toes on each foot, complete with long, sharp bear like claws. Binturongs give off an unusual scent that resembles popcorn. Unlike other members of the Viverrids who walk on their toes, Binturongs walk on their soles with their heels touching the ground and have a bear like shuffle. They are very slow gaited, but can be very fast when on the attack.

Size: The Binturong has a head and body length of 2 – 3 feet with the tail length around an additional 2 – 2 ½ feet. Weight averages between 20 – 30 pounds. Newborns weigh in at a mere 10 ½ ounces.

Habitat: Binturongs can be found in dense forests, however it is not found anywhere in any great abundance. It is mainly arboreal and nocturnal.

Distribution: This single species can be found on the island of Burma, and possibly from Nepal, to Indochina and the Malay Peninsula and on Sumatra, Bankga, Java, the Rhio Archipelago and Palwan.

Reproduction: Binturongs in captivity tend to breed throughout the year with no set seasons. Females may give birth to 2 litters per year with each litter having between 1-6 babies, with 2 being the average. Babies are born after a 90 day gestation period, reach breeding maturity at 2 ½ years for females and 2 years for males, and can remain fertile until at least 15 years.

Offspring: Babies are born with fur and are totally blind and helpless. They begin to take solid foods between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks.

Social System: Like most Vivverids, Binturongs are solitary or live in small groups of adults with immature offspring.

Diet: Binturongs will generally eat small vertebrates and invertebrates, and occasionally eat fruits, vegetables and nuts. In some instances, they have even been known to scavenge. Binturongs are very opportunistic eaters and will even dive and swim to catch fish.

Communication: Very little is known about wild Binturongs, but in captivity they are very vocal, uttering high pitched whines and howls, rasping growls, and when very excited, a variety of grunts and hisses. Binturongs also produce a scent that is used for communication with other binturongs, but to humans it smells like a sweet popcorn.

Status: Threatened

How rare is this animal ? The International Species Information Service lists 252 worldwide, with 118 being in the U.S. Obvious enough, binturongs are endangered species.

Eagles have held a special place in the cultures of many civilizations because of their impressive size and beauty. Used to symbolize royal power, from ancient Egypt to the Roman and Napoleonic empires, eagles have appeared on coins, standards, and weaponry.

The Philippine monkey-eating eagle is well named for its preference for eating monkeys, particularly macaques. This ferocious-looking bird stands over 3 feet (1 m) tall and can weigh up to 9 pounds (4 kg) — larger than a golden eagle. Bluish eyes, a large, sharp, curved beak, and a warlike headdress of spiky feathers, give the Philippine eagle a striking appearance.

First described in 1894 in the Philippines, the total wild population of the Philippine eagle is now estimated to be under 200. Once found in thick, mountainous forests on most of the larger Philippine islands, the eagle has been extirpated from several islands just in the last 20 years (see also Spotlight on Island Biogeography).

Causes of Endangerment

Hunting

Raptors are threatened worldwide. Historically, raptors have been persecuted simply because of their predatory nature. Humans kill them to protect domestic animals, or to eliminate competition for a sought-after prey species.

The Philippine eagle also was a prized trophy for hunters. Once firearms became widely available in the Philippines after World War I, the number of eagles killed for sport sky-rocketed. Even legal protection was of no use for quite awhile. When important people paid large sums of money to hunt the eagles, often it was the game wardens who led them to the birds!

Pollution

Because of their position at top of the food chain, raptors are particularly vulnerable to toxins, such as pesticides, which build up in their prey species. Peregrine falcons and bald eagles in North America were nearly eliminated by the widespread use of the pesticide DDT.

Habitat Loss

Tropical forest raptors like the Philippine eagle have been greatly impacted by habitat destruction. Reduced territory size, declining numbers of prey animals, and disappearance of large nesting trees all have contributed to the eagle’s decline. It is estimated that 80 percent of Philippine rain forests have disappeared since the 1970s.

Collectors

The Philippine eagle became a desirable acquisition for zoos and private collectors, beginning in the 1960s. Collectors stole young eagles from nests for sale to the highest bidder.

Conservation Actions

Hunting of and trade in the Philippine eagle are now prohibited. The greatest threat to its survival remains the continued loss of its tropical rain forest habitat. At a minimum, selective logging methods should be employed to protect the large nesting trees and leave sufficient tracts of undisturbed forest to support eagles. In addition, the use of agricultural pesticides needs to be reduced to prevent poisoning of animals at the top of food chains (see Spotlight on the Bald Eagle).