Binturong

There are 9 subspecies of binturong, the second largest species in the family Viverridae.

The binturong is the only animal in the family Viverridae with a prehensile tail. The tail has fluffy and rough hair, which can grasp and act as a fifth hand, and can be used to hang the body in mid-air by wrapping around branches. In fact, only two carnivorous animals have such a tail, and the binturong is one of them. Moreover, in the Eastern Hemisphere, the binturong is the only mammal with a grasping tail.

Binturongs are nocturnal animals, active more frequently at dawn and dusk, and sometimes in the morning. They have been found to move and forage with gray leaf monkeys and white-cheeked gibbons. The binturong's sharp claws and grasping and entangled tail allow it to climb tall trees freely. It can jump and climb between branches to find food, and use its tail to wrap around branches to help maintain balance. Their hind legs can bend backwards at a large angle so that they can climb down from the tree headfirst. They live in trees all year round and are typical arboreal animals.

Binturongs are plantigrade animals, and they walk with their soles on the ground, which is similar to bears; their eyes turn into vertical slits when exposed to strong light, which is very similar to cats. Binturongs are named after these two similarities. They use the olfactory glands located on their tails to rub on trees to mark their territory, communicate with their peers through smell, and leave a trail of smell marks when climbing trees. The smell of the substance secreted by the olfactory glands of binturongs is often described as "similar to hot popcorn." They become extremely ferocious when threatened, and make giggling sounds when they are happy

In the past, binturongs were not distributed in a large area in China. It is only distributed in some border counties in the southwest and south of Yunnan. The population in Xishuangbanna has been greatly reduced due to the greatly reduced habitat. There may still be dozens of binturongs in the Tongbiguan Nature Reserve (Nabangba) in Yingjiang, western Yunnan. The number of binturongs in China is estimated to be less than 200, and it is in a highly endangered state.

The felling and destruction of the native tropical forests in the habitat are the main factors causing the endangerment of binturong. Especially after the 1970s, most of the tropical and subtropical original forests in Guangxi and southern Yunnan were reclaimed and destroyed, which destroyed most of the habitats of binturongs, causing the disappearance or reduction of binturongs in those areas; in addition, China is the marginal area of binturong distribution, the small population, and the fragmentation of distribution area are also factors that endanger this species.

Listed as a first-class protected animal in China (1989).

Listed in the "Red List of Endangered Animals in China" (1996), with an assessment level of endangered species.

Listed in the "Red List of Chinese Species", with an assessment level of critically endangered species (CR A1cd).

Listed in Appendix I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 Edition Appendix III.

It has been listed in the 2016 Ver 3.1 of the World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) - Vulnerable Species (VU).

It has been listed in the first level of China's National List of Key Protected Wildlife (February 5, 2021).

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Outside of China, it is mainly found in Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, India (Assam), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The largest subspecies, the peninsular subspecies, is distributed in the Philippines.
In China, it is distributed in Yingjiang County in western Yunnan, Cangyuan in the southwest, Xishuangbanna in the south, and Hekou in the southeast; Longling County and Jingxi in the southwest of Guangxi, and Yaoshan in the northeast. China is a marginal distribution area.
It mainly lives in tropical rainforests and monsoon forests in southern Asia, with an altitude generally not exceeding 800 meters. It is a typical tropical arboreal civet, mostly active in tall and dense trees. In the Philippines, they also live in secondary lowland forests and grasslands.

The female is 20% larger than the male and looks like a small black bear. The thick tail is almost as long as the body. The tail of the binturong is entangled at the end, which can wrap around branches to support the body for foraging.
Its body hair is black, mixed with light brown and yellow, the hair tips are dyed brown or brown-gray, and the tail color is similar to the back color. There is a tuft of hair up to 5 cm at the end of the ear, which obviously exceeds the tip of the ear, forming a long and pointed black tuft of hair. The hair on the edge of the ear is shorter and white. The limbs are sturdy, and the five toes have strong and sharp claws. The head, eye area, forehead and chin are dark gray, and there are long white whiskers beside the lips.
Although the binturong belongs to the order Carnivora, its canine teeth are not well developed, and its incisors are not as specialized as other carnivores. The binturong is also the only animal in the civet family with solid fur,