Page 37 - Gateways Winter 2022-23 flipbuilder_Neat

Binturong
or “Bearcat”

It’s sometimes described as having the body
of a small bear and the face of a cat. But this
mammal is neither a bear or a cat. A member
of the Viverridae family, it is most closely
related to civets and genets. A number of
adaptations— including sharp claws and
rotating ankles—make it well-suited to living
in dense forest canopies in Southeast Asia.
The binturong’s claim to fame is its long,
muscular prehensile tail—it’s the only mammal
from Africa, Asia, or Europe that has this
unique adaptation. The tail is used like a fifth
limb to grasp or hold onto branches. When
you walk by this exhibit, take a sniff, said
Wanner. Binturongs emit an odor that smells
like buttered popcorn.

Amphibians

and Reptiles

Many residents of Asian rain forests are amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates and you’ll find some of them
in CLOUDED LEOPARD RAIN FOREST. The Indochinese box turtle, also called the flowerback box
turtle, is native to Hainan Island, China, and northern Vietnam. The turtles, which are 6 to 8 inches long,
have a beautiful domed carapace or shell. It is critically endangered and on the brink of extinction in the wild
because it has been hunted for food and for sale in the illegal wildlife trade.
An underwater exhibit houses the zoo’s tentacled snakes. A pair of short, tentacle-like appendages protrude
from its snout and are used to detect prey. The zoo’s five snakes are easy to miss because they resemble a
tangle of twigs among submerged vegetation. Their shape and the color and pattern of their skin camouflage
them from predators and prey alike. Watch them as they lie in wait and ambush the mollies in their habitat
when the fish swim by.

BROOKFIELD ZOO | WINTER 2022/23 37