Binturong

Open encyclopedia reference

The binturong (Arctictis binturong) (; bin-TURE-ong, BIN-ture-ong), also known as the bearcat, is an arboreal viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only species in the genus Arctictis, and it is divided into nine subspecies. It has long, thick hair, and is primarily dark in appearance, but can also have a whitish speckled pelage. It is unique in morphology with its popcorn-scented musk glands, and its long, bushy, prehensile tail.

The binturong is an omnivore, feeding on plants, insects, and smaller animals. It is primarily nocturnal, but also exhibits crepuscular behaviour. Females are able to enact delayed implantation, where a fertilized egg is not attached to the uterine walls until external conditions are ideal. The major threats to the binturong include habitat loss and forest degradation, as well as illegal hunting and trading. It has been assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Wikipedia contributors, Binturong; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:24:33.402159+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Arctictis binturong (Raffles, 1822)

Name authority

(Raffles, 1822)

Common name

Binturong

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Carnivora

Family

Viverridae

Genus

Arctictis

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderCarnivora Bowdich, 1821
12. suborderFeliformia Kretzoi, 1945
13. familyViverridae Gray, 1821
14. subfamilyParadoxurinae Gray, 1865
15. genusArctictis Temminck, 1824
16. speciesArctictis binturong (Raffles, 1822)

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 30 records assigned to Viverridae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=621981 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:5VRMH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.