Popcorn Butt? Why Bearcat If Not Related to Bear or Cat?

In this episode, host Rick Schwartz shares his passion and love of the fascinating binturong, also known as the bearcat. Discover why they smell like popcorn, (or is it corn chips?) and their unique adaptations - like their prehensile tail. He also discusses their habitat, and conservation status, along with intriguing animals facts.

Rick's love for binturongs comes from hands on care and work with the species when he was a zookeeper at the San Diego Zoo, and his desire to keep learning more about them.

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Websites mentioned in this episode: 

AB Conservation

Zoo Atlanta's Page about Binturong's Popcorn Odor

Science of Nature: "...why bearcats smell like popcorn"

Music: Positive Carefree Folk Pop

Artist: Burgberg

Used with Full Music Standard Lic.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right, so get this. Part bear, part cat. It's in the name. They're called bear cats. They smell like popcorn, some say corn chips, but they aren't related to bears or cats. What exactly is a benturong? I'm Rick Schwartz, educator, public speaker, and all-around curious guy. Over the years, my curiosity and experiences, along with the many people I've worked with, revealed to me we all have a desire to feel connected to the natural world. You're listening to Animals, Nature, and You, a podcast that explores the connection between animals, nature, and humans. A podcast that celebrates learning more, following our curiosity, and reconnecting with the natural world. Welcome to 10 Minute Tuesday here on Animals, Nature, and You. I'm your host, Rick Schwartz, and I'm very glad you're here. And of course, today's topic is probably gonna be one of my favorite topics of all time: the bentrung, also known as the bear cat. I I know I could have opened with this. I could have opened my very first episode being about bentrons and bearcats because I can talk for hours about them. And this is 10-minute Tuesday, so we're gonna try and distill it down. We'll see what happens. I gave myself permission to do this episode, though, because last week's conversation with John, we talked about red pandas and tree kangaroos. He was nice enough to have me on his podcast, and then I had him on my podcast, a little podcast swap. We also talked about bentrongs. And during that conversation, he brought up the fact that in his experience, going to zoos and getting behind-the-scenes tours and getting up close and personal with bentrongs, to him it smells more like stale corn chips. And he's like, Rick, I gotta ask you, you love bentrongs, you've worked with them hands-on. Do they smell like popcorn to you? Here's the thing. I truly believe there's somewhere in between all of that, popcorn smell and corn chips smell is where the smell lands on our nose. What's interesting though is of course the human mind tries to justify what we're smelling, what we're seeing, what we're hearing. And I think when you're in the zoo environment, you've got popcorn stands, you're eating popcorn, someone else is eating popcorn, and you think, oh, what does that smell? It must be popcorn, your brain justifies it as popcorn. Either way, for me personally, I love the smell. It is the best smell ever. And the the next question, of course, comes up is why? Why do they smell like popcorn or corn chips? When I first started working with benturongs back in the early 2000s, the literature at the time was it's there's a gland that they have on their butt, they mark their territory. So they are in the family of Veridae, which is a type of carnivore. There's civets and genets in that family, and civets and genets have been used for a very long time, using their musk and and what they have for their scent marking tools to be in perfumes, believe it or not. So because bintrongs are part of that family, it was assumed like this is their scent gland, it's just how it works. Fast forward to today, though, the details Duke University and a couple other people did some research on this. It ends up, and I've I've got it here on my side computer because it's I want to make sure I get it right. It ends up there's a chemical compound that happens that is called two acetyl one pyruline or pyrulin, depending on how you want to say it. The abbreviation in chemistry is two AP. Now, two AP is prominent in popcorn. When the kernel heats up to a certain temperature and pops, that heat creates a chemical reaction with other things, compounds in the popcorn that then creates two AP, extreme heat. This happens also when you cook rice. The extreme heat releases the 2AP chemical. Different variables, so popcorn and rice don't smell exactly the same, but they're very close because there's different amounts of the 2AP in there. Ends up benthrongs also create 2AP, but wait a minute, they don't heat up to these extreme temperatures of popcorn and rice to release a smell? No, they don't. The research found that the acids and other things in their urine, mixing then with bacteria creates a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction that is not heat related that releases the 2AP, the exact same chemical in popcorn and cooked rice. What? It's not a gland. It's not. It's just their pea and bacteria. The 2AP can be found in other scenarios too. Bacteria breaks down in a wide variety of other ways, releasing certain smells. You talk about human BO, that's another version of it, not the 2AP, but just how bacteria build up and then break down can create odors and smells. In the show notes, whether you're watching this on YouTube or checking this out, wherever you listen to your podcast, I will have the link to the study done by Duke University. Information also out there about uh this is done, I think it's the Atlanta Atlanta Zoo has it on their website. So I'll put a link for that too. So let's talk a little more about bentrons, shall we? While I have you here just fascinated by this stinky smell. So some of my favorite things about them, they are elusive in the wild. They would rather not have conflict. They are a carnivore. They're classified under that. So dogs, cats, bears, skunks, raccoons, all of that. Their family of a veridae, then, like I mentioned earlier, has civets and genets. This is a rare, lesser known group of carnivores found in Africa and Asia. Lesser known to us here in America and the zoo world. So you you go around zoos, you'll probably see a bentron or the good bentron habitat. Not as often you're going to see civets and genets. Uh, it's just, for whatever reason, that's just how it is. There are some zoos that do have them, though. They're fascinating animals. So amazing. The cool thing about benturongs, although they are carnivore, they have the dentition or tooth structure of a carnivore, digestive system of a carnivore. They're, from the studies that are out there now, say they eat about 80% vegetation, so fruits, vegetables, leaves, and about 20% actual carnivore behavior. So they're going to find eggs, birds, fish, small mammals, lizards, reptiles, things of that nature. They aren't a super aggressive pounce and kill predator, like, say, a jaguar, but uh they're opportunistic when it comes to eating meat and finding other critters to eat. In the wild, like I mentioned, they are elusive. They would rather not be around people. So they disappear easily. Black coat, they can climb, they are nearly silent when they walk through these thick rubbery pads that they have, which are great for grabbing onto a tree, also for grabbing onto the tree. Very sharp hooked claws. When you look at claws in animals, if they come out, we could do a whole episode about claws, by the way. When they come straight out and then hook, those are usually for tearing things open like trees. Uh they'll those can be used for digging really well. So think about mere cats. Perfect example about a digging tool. Bentrongs have short hooked claws, great for grabbing and holding on. You'll see those also in a lot of like tigers, lions, other predators are going to swipe with their paw to grab on to their prey item. Bentrons tend to use it for climbing, though. Now get this when they're climbing down out of a tree, they come down headfirst. They hug with their front limbs, the back feet turn 180 degrees, so they can still utilize their claws and the grips those have. And then this other part, they have a prehensile or grasping tail. They are one of two carnivores on this current planet that we call home that have a prehensile tail. The other one is called a kinkaju. Serves sort of a similar niche in the rainforests of South America and Central America, but different. Still has a lot of same climbing abilities as the bentron. Bentrongs are larger, but nonetheless, they'll use that tail, they'll wrap it around to help slow their descent. Even if the tree is too big to hold on completely around with the tail, they'll still hug it as best they can to help create friction to slow that ascent. The tail could be also used as an anchor. They're going to wrap that around a branch and reach out with the front legs while the back feet and the tail hold on so they can transfer the weight to go from branch to branch sometimes. They're not like monkeys. They're not going to hang from that tail. They're not going to swing through the branches, but they will move through the trees if they can. More often than not, though, if they can't make a safe connection by still holding on to the tail, they're going to climb down out of their tree. Great nocturnal behavior. Now, behaviorally, they're mostly crepuscular, meaning up in the twilight hours, morning and evening, but they're very good at nighttime nocturnal behavior as well. Great nighttime vision, awesome whiskers that come forward. I remember one time I was walking a benturong back from an event to back to his home, and it was fairly dark out. The path is sort of lit. Man, his eyes were dilated. He has his whiskers out and he's walking like, oh, I'm checking things out. Great sense of smell too. So even when the hearing, although is good and the eyes are good, the sense of smell is outstanding too. So great sense of smell for finding food or sensing danger, whatever it might be. Or what whatever you maybe find a mate. Who knows? Find some popcorn. So I do want to jump last part of this episode. I want to talk about ventron conservation. Where are they found? They're found in Southeast Asia. So think of rainforests like orangutans, uh, Malaysia, Borneo, Philippines, uh, all that sort of those islands through there and then into the mainland area too. But here's what we don't know. We don't know what their numbers are in the wild. We don't know how they are doing. They're listed currently on IUCN as vulnerable, meaning we know that there's a challenge they're facing in the wild. And the most recent thing does show the numbers are most likely dropping. We know this due to habitat loss. So think about orangutans. You've heard a lot, probably, about orangutans and loss of habitat due to deforestation for palm oil plantations. Now, orangutans have less habitat. They have less space they live in than the bentron. It's found in a broader area. Nonetheless, when you hear about what's happening to orangutans, it's happening to bentrongs also. They do share that space. I think bentrongs in general can live in a more diverse habitat, perhaps than the orangutans. But either way, it's it's that similar type of area without going into too much detail. Now, here's what I'll do for you. I'll put down in the links below the study that I mentioned regarding the 2AP, right? 2AP in the chemical in the urine. I will put down a link also for Atlanta Zoo. They've got a great page about this whole popcorn smell urine thing. But also, I'm going to put a link down to AB conservation. Now, why A-B conservation? Arcticus Bentron is a scientific name for the Bentron, AB Conservation. So it's a Bentron conservation group that's been around for a while. I have followed them forever on social media. Never really reached out to them, though. But now that I'm an independent podcaster and wildlife educator, I don't have to worry about someone else approving me reaching out to them, I'm going to do it. I'm going to put links down below for their website, for their social media, and I'm also going to reach out to them and see if maybe there's something I can do to help them out. Because they are doing the work. They're one of the only groups I know of currently doing actual work in the rainforest for the Bentrongs. And uh, you know, I think I mean their website too. It's got a picture of a Bentron with its butt turned to you and a bunch of popcorn. You'll see it. I'll put the link down below. You'll see it there. So yeah, it tries me. I didn't, I didn't realize that was the bottom of the page until I scrolled down. So there you have it. Uh Bentrons are awesome animals. The ones I've worked with have a great personality. They're very smart. And I can relate to the idea of sometimes you people show up, you're like, ooh, I I'd rather just have my own space. And I love the fact that they're gonna have fruit salad instead of go hunting. And if they find something else, then sure I'll eat that too, but whatever. Great animals, great animals all around. Let me know. Do you have a favorite animal that I should talk about, that we should look into, that we should do more? Uh maybe I could find somebody for you that is specializes in that species and we could do a deep dive together with that person. Let me know. Let me know in the comments, either on YouTube or find me on social media. Uh, this has been so much fun for me having everyone join me here on this curious odyssey of animals, nature, and you. It's been a lot of fun building this platform. It's only a couple months old and already we're getting a lot of engagement, and that's because of you. Thank you so much for showing up, for listening, for watching, whatever it might be. And if you haven't already, please, please subscribe here on YouTube if you're watching the video or on your platform that you're listening for your podcast. You can subscribe or follow depending upon what you have, because that way you will not miss any future episodes. Every Thursday, we have an interview with someone doing some awesome work every Tuesday, our 10-minute Tuesdays, which tend to go over 10 minutes. Sorry, it's just the nature of how it works. If you want to get a hold of me, you can find me on my website, zoologyrick.com or anywhere on social media that I am active, ZoologyRick. I'll have all the links down below for that. This particular podcast also has its own little corner of social media on Instagram, Animals Nature and You on Instagram. You can connect with me there. Feel free to comment or leave ideas. Like I said, I would love to know what's your favorite animal and what's your favorite animal and why. Let me know on social media, however, you want to connect. And yeah, I think that'd be a fun way for me to try and push myself outside my normal bubble of people I know. Who could I find to discuss your particular favorite animal? And then maybe we could sort of do this sort of deep dive together. I think that'd be fun. That'd be a lot of fun. All right. Well, I I can't I can't thank you enough for being here. And uh, I think I'll wrap this up, like I always do. Have a good one, everybody.