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More evolutionary diversion

More evolutionary diversion published on No Comments on More evolutionary diversion

Why is it pictures and stories about weird animals and animal behaviors is so fascinating to humans?  I’m no exception, of course, and I will from time to time stare wide eyed at the weedy sea dragons webcam as they drift slowly about in the water.  Sea dragons are curious things to look at and have evolved a fantastic camouflage that seems to impede their ability to do much more than float with the seaweed.

Binturong in Overloon photo taken by Tassilo Rau
Binturong in Overloon photo taken by Tassilo Rau

Our star today is the Bearcat or binturong.  The Binturong not only has several visual characteristics of a cat, but also has similarly placed scent glands and comfort behaviors:  grooming and sleeping curled up.  It’s tail is prehensile, like many tree monkeys and is used to steady their slow but sure climbing in the trees.  The Bearcat is not related to bears or cats or monkeys, nor is it related to the oninguito or the red panda which are also sometimes called bearcats or cat-bears.  Instead, it shares a family with civets and genets.

Oh, and, it smells like popcorn.

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