First photographic evidence of the Binturong Arctictis binturong (Raffles, 1821) from Nepal

Abstract

Binturong, also known as bearcat (Carnivora: Viverridae), is thought to be a close relative of the palm civet. It is the largest civet distributed in tropical and sub-tropical forests of southeastern Asia (Willcox et al. 2016). Binturong has a thick muscular prehensile tail, the only other carnivore which has a truly prehensile tail is the tropical American Kinkajou Potos flavus, a member of the Procyonidae, which closely resembles the Binturong in habits (Pocock 1939). The historical distribution and occurrence of Binturong in Nepal Himalaya are of doubtful accuracy (Blandford 1891). However, Pocock (1939) mentions that the species was distributed in the eastern Himalaya. According to Baral & Shah (2008) and Jnawali et al. (2011), the species is distributed in a small area in eastern Nepal, but the exact locality is not specified.