Often mistaken for a strange bear-cat hybrid, the binturong is a secretive mammal native to Southeast Asia’s dense rainforests. With its shaggy black fur, prehensile tail and unmistakable buttery scent, this arboreal creature is both peculiar and captivating. What is a binturong? The binturong (Arctictis binturong), sometimes known as the ‘bearcat’, is neither bear nor […]
Tag: carnivores
World Snow Leopard Day: Community action and new science foster coexistence with humans
Snow leopards range across Asia’s rugged mountains, where they face mounting threats from climate change, declining wild prey, and retaliatory killings from local herders. Today, on Oct. 23, International Snow Leopard Day, we look back at recent Mongabay reporting highlighting how innovative science, climate-ready habitat, and community-centered conservation are helping these big cats share mountain […]
“They creep low to the ground, advancing in short bursts until close enough to pounce.” One of the world’s most beautiful, rarest, dogs facing extinction
One of the world’s rarest, most beautiful dogs faces extinction. When you scan the starkly beautiful landscape of Ethiopia’s highlands, one of the first things you notice is the vegetation. Howling winds ensure that few plants grow high off the ground here, with giant (familiar from gardens around the world) among the few exceptions. In […]
Nepal’s high-altitude wildernesses & wildlife are increasingly under threat (commentary)
Changes like increasing geological and glacial instability driven by the warming climate are a growing concern across the Himalayas. Our hearts go out to the thousands of families across Nepal, China, and around the world grieving their loved ones and searching for those missing after the recent catastrophic flash flood at the Nepal-China border. Though […]
Call to ban marmot hunting in France as campaigners say they are ‘killed for fun’
Animal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots. Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation. Although the marmot is not a […]
Cougars cut deadly vehicle-deer collisions in the US by up to 76%, study shows
If you’re a black-tailed deer on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington, you’re always surrounded by friends and family. You are free-range, with abundant food to forage in familiar woods and meadows. But you’re also vigilant because you’re a prey species and your ideal habitat is also home to your top predators: […]
Brazil’s wildcats face multiple diseases due to habitat fragmentation
Every day, millions of Brazilians recall how rich the country’s feline biodiversity is when they reach into their wallets: Since entering circulation in 2010, the ‘50 real’ notes have carried a printed drawing of a jaguar (Panthera onca), the largest feline in the Americas. In Brazil, one can even trace the animal that inspired the design of […]
It might look like a bit like your pet cat – but this fierce predator is a skilful swimmer who can sprint at 30mph and is anything but cuddly…
While at first glance you may think it resembles a domestic cat, a bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a much bigger and and more fierce hunter. It’s a medium-sized species of lynx, whose name comes from is short tail, which looks cut or ‘bobbed’. It roams the deserts and forests of Canada, the United States and […]