Taxon name
Arctictis binturong
(Raffles, 1821)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Arctictis binturong
(Raffles, 1821)
Common name(s)
Binturong, Bear Cat, Palawan Binturong, Geso Bhaluk, Gach Valluk, Gach Fewa
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Raffles, 1821)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Nine subspecies have been recognized (Pocock 1939, Cosson et al. 2006). Of these, Arctictis binturong albifrons (F. G. Cuvier 1822) occurs in the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh (Ellerman and Morrison-Scott 1966).
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
Bangladesh
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has been evaluated as Vulnerable based on its Extent of Occurrence is 13,461 km2 and Area of Occupancy being 767 km2 , current population is small and occurs only in a few disjunct areas and on the continuous threat of its habitat destruction and other existing threats.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
Sayad Mahmudur Rahman, Sanjina Afrin
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
IUCN (2012) IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. Second edition. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iv + 32pp; IUCN (2012) Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
http://iucnredlistbd.org/
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Its range covers Southeast Asia and Malayan peninsula, specifically Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam (Widmann et al. 2008). This species is rare, occurs in mixed evergreen forests and bamboo clumps in the southeast and northeast of the country covering the hill forests of Sylhet and Chittagong in Bangladesh (Khan 2008, 2015).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes, in the publication/on website
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs in the mixed evergreen forest and bamboo clumps in the northeast and southeast regions of Bangladesh. Binturongs are nocturnal and mostly solitary and tend to evade each other, but are not strictly territorial. They spend the majority of their time in tree but also have a high level of ground activity as they are too large to jump from tree to tree (Widmann et al. 2008). Binturongs have also been documented swimming and diving in order to obtain food (Cosson et al. 2007). Their prehensile tail acts as another limb as they climb slowly and carefully. Their hind legs can rotate backwards to enhance their back claws' ability to grasp as they climb trunks.
History
Critically Endangered in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh 2000).
Publication
IUCN Bangladesh. 2015. Red List of Bangladesh Volume 2: Mammals. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp. xvi+232
