---
title: "Binturong"
description: "Arctictis binturong — Mammals. 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."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/binturong
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Binturong

> Arctictis binturong — Mammals. 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.

- Scientific name: *Arctictis binturong*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `jungle` (Jungle)
- iNaturalist observations: 568
- Wikidata: [Q213141](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q213141)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41631](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41631)

## Names

- en: Binturong
- de: Binturong
- es: Manturón
- fr: Binturong
- nl: Beermarter
- pt: Binturong
- pl: Binturong

## Countries with the most observations

MY (79), TH (25), ID (23), PH (22), IN (5)

## Summary

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…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binturong

## Photo

![Binturong](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/binturong/medium.jpg)

Photo: Richard Fuller · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/31454549

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/binturong?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).