Popcorn-scented creature gives birth at NC center. Meet the newly-named ‘bearcats’

Two creatures with a unique look and buttery scent now have names at a North Carolina science center.

The baby binturongs — also called bintlets — were born May 5 to mom Susan and dad Mee-Noi, according to a Facebook post from the Greensboro Science Center. The center left their names in the hands of the public and, after more than a month, announced that a decision had been reached.

“Introducing Bianca & Monty,” the science center wrote June 9 on Facebook. “We want to thank everyone who voted in our bintlet naming contest!

The pair are the first binturongs to be born at the Greensboro Science Center.

“Historically, binturong births have not been that common throughout (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) facilities and the population has been on a downward trend over the last 20 years,” Jessica Hoffman, the center’s vice president of animal care and welfare, said in a release announcing their birth. “Only a few pairs continued to be successful, so that makes this new pairing of Susan and Mee-noi especially exciting for us.”

About binturongs

Binturongs are also called bearcats. The species resembles a mix between a bear and a cat — but its looks are deceiving as it isn’t closely related to either, according to Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. Instead, they are “in the family Viverridae with other small cat-like mammals, including civets and fossas.”

“They look like mask-less raccoons with tufty whiskers and eyebrows. They have low, wide, muscular bodies. They have shaggy, dark brown coats that shade to black on their snouts, limbs and tails. They walk with their feet flat, like bears and humans,” the Smithsonian said.

Fully grown binturongs are about the size of a coyote and weigh from 24 to 79 pounds, according to the Smithsonian.

Along with their unique looks, binturongs are also known for smelling like snack food.

“They are often described as smelling like buttered popcorn because their urine contains 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, the chemical compound that gives popcorn its aroma,” the Smithsonian said.

Their scent attracts mates and wards off predators.

“Like many animals, binturongs use urine as a method of marking territory and finding mates. Binturongs urinate in a squatting position, soaking their feet and tails, which they drag behind them to leave a scent trail,” Zoo Atlanta said.

Binturongs are carnivores — and have the “sharp teeth and claws” to prove it — but act more like vegetarians as they stick mostly to eating fruit, according to the Smithsonian.

They are one of only two carnivore species with a prehensile tail, the Greensboro Science Center said.

Their tails act like an extra limb and allow them to balance when climbing among tree limbs, the Smithsonian said.

Native to rain forests in South and Southeast Asia, binturongs are considered vulnerable in the wild, the science center said. Susan and Mee-Noi were recommended for breeding as part of the AZA’s Species Survival Plan.

Bianca and Monty

The Greensboro Science center said in May that Bianca and Monty are already starting to smell like popcorn.

The center’s staff has been hand-rearing the pair since their births.

Susan, a first-time mom, didn’t show enough interest in the babies when they were born, leading keepers to step in to make sure they got proper care, Macy Anderson, a lead keeper at the science center, said in a video.

Hand-rearing has involved feeding them formula and keeping them in an incubator, and the pair aren’t available for public viewing yet.

“Stay tuned to our social channels to see more of these cuties.”