Fluffy - The Bearcat

Fluffy is a bearcat (also known as a binturong). They are found in the rainforests of South and Southeast Asia. Binturongs smell like butter popcorn! Binturongs brush musk from scent glands under their tails onto trees and the ground to mark their territory, and howl to alert other binturong of their presence.

Did you know?

The bearcat is agile like a cat in the canopy and less adept on ground, walking flat-footed like a bear. However, it is neither a bear nor a cat, but belongs to the civet and mongoose family.

Binturongs are in the order Carnivora but are primarily fruit eaters. They eat fruits and are especially important with seed dispersal of the strangler fig tree. Binturongs are considered a vulnerable species due to a 30% population decline over the last 30 years. Conservation threats include habitat destruction and degradation, hunting for food and fur, and capture for the pet trade. There are protections in place in India, Malaysia and China (believed that Binturongs are critically endangered in China).

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