With the alias of Bear Viverra Civetta, it
belongs to the Viverridae family of Carnivora order. Its scientific name is
Arctictis binturong (Latin), or Binturong
(English).
Its appearance is like a small black bear,
with a stout tail almost as long (70 to 80 centimeters) as its body. It has
black and fluffy body hair, mixed with light pale brown hair. The ear end has a
hair cluster of five centimeters long, and the ear brim is white. Its four limbs
are stout, and the five toes have strong acuminate claws. It has a voluble tail,
grayish head, eye periphery, forehead and lower chin, and white long palpus
beside the lip.
Binturong inhabits in tropical rain forests
or monsoon forests. It is a typical tree dwelling animal; its aculeate claws and
voluble tail, able to scratch and to reel, enable it to climb freely on high and
huge trees. It moves about frequently in the morning and dusk, mainly feeding on
fruits, bird ova, birdie, and mini-type animals. It can breed all the year
round, often mate between February to March, and litter in the middle ten days
of May, usually 2 to 3 babies per fetus. It has a lifespan of 15 years.
Binturong is distributed in the south of
Yunnan Province.