Animal
Binturong
A grasping tail and curved claws help it move among the branches.
Content language
The binturong uses its tail differently from animals that rely on theirs only for balance. Its prehensile tail can wrap around branches and support the body during climbing. A binturong can also use it to hang from a bough. Curved claws catch on uneven surfaces as it climbs. Pads on its feet help it walk along branches, working with the tail as a set of adaptations for life in trees.
This member of the viverrid family inhabits dense rainforests. It is active at night, and much of its daily life is spent in trees. It belongs to the order Carnivora but does not restrict its menu to meat. It eats small mammals, birds, fruit and carrion. Plant food is therefore part of its diet despite its membership of a group containing many hunters.
A binturong’s body measures 60-96 centimetres, and its weight ranges from 9 to 20 kilograms. Pregnancy lasts around 90-92 days. It can live for eighteen years. When watching its outline, the combination of a substantial body and a tail that genuinely grasps is particularly striking.
For children
A binturong has a tail that grips branches. It uses the tail when climbing and can even hang from a bough with its help. This is useful because it spends much of its life high in trees. Curved claws and pads on its feet help too.
In the wild it lives in dense rainforests. It is nocturnal, so it may rest during the day. It belongs to the viverrid family and the order Carnivora. That does not mean it eats only meat. Its menu includes small mammals, birds, carrion and fruit.
A binturong weighs 9-20 kilograms, and its body can be almost a metre long. That is a sizeable animal to be moving along branches. While watching quietly, try to notice how it positions its tail around a bough.
Question 1 of 2
What does a binturong use its prehensile tail for?
- Location
- Binturong