Bearcat / Binturong

One of only two carnivores with a prehensile tail, the other being the kinkajou (Potos flavus), the binturong is a distinctive civet that skilfully traverses the canopy of tall tropical forests. A heavily built, robust civet with a fearsome appearance, the binturong has a pelage of long, course hairs that are a lustrous black, often with contrasting grey tips. A scattering of grey and buff covers the head, and black tufts with white margins protrude prominently from the ears. The binturong forms a distinct genus, with nine described subspecies, although the Palawan Island population (Arctictis binturong whitei) is often considered as a separate species. The binturong is a versatile, generalist feeder, and preys upon a variety of small mammals and insects, and also eats fruits, leaves and shoots. Rather than jumping between trees, like the more acrobatic primates, the binturong uses its prehensile tail as an extra hand, moving slowly, but efficiently, carefully placing each footstep, although it will occasionally drop to the ground to move between forest gaps, and even swim in rivers and catch fish.