00:00What smells like popcorn and climbs trees? This is a binturong, a two to three foot
00:04long mammal that lives in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia.
00:08Although sometimes called a bear cat, they are neither bear nor cat.
00:12They're members of the civet family, nocturnal animals that sleep during the
00:15day and forage at night. One of the binturong's most unusual traits
00:19however is their smell, an aroma described as hot buttered popcorn.
00:23From glands beneath their tails, binturongs release a chemical compound
00:26called 2-axetyl-1-chiralene, the same compound produced when baking
00:30bread or cooking popcorn. The scent marks their territories in
00:34treetops and signals their presence to others around their homes.
00:38In 2016, a study found that males have more concentrated aromas,
00:42possibly to help with mate selection by better advertising their presence and
00:45hormonal status to females. What amazing animal should we share next?
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