Apparently scent isn’t always the best guide of what to eat - after all, bearcat pee smells like hot buttered popcorn. That’s because part of Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia are home to the Binturong – a cat like a carnivore with pee smells like buttered popcorn. Download The Map Additional Facts. Two animals which may prey on them are the dhole or the tiger. September 6, 2018 The Science Thinkers 0 Comments. The estimated average weight for the species ranges from 9 to 20 kg. Binturongs live in the canopies of tall, dense, tropical forests. At the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, binturongs eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, a fortified, meat-based commercial carnivore diet, and low-starch, high-fiber primate biscuits. “How does this animal make a cooking smell, but without cooking? Why Binturong Smells Like Buttered Popcorn . Their life span in a protected environment is about 10-20 years. Only one of their most striking features is exactly what it has the aroma of – people frequently express it evokes recollections of hot, buttered popcorn. (I’m ashamed to admit. That's actually the animal's pee, which shares the chemical compound that gives popcorn its savory scent. In a paper appearing online in the journal Science of Nature, they analyzed urine samples collected during routine physical examinations of 33 binturongs at Carolina Tiger Rescue, a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The binturong is a mammal that lives in South and Southeast Asia. These glands are located under its tail and secrete a musk that is said to smell like popcorn. And for good reason — the chemical compound that gives freshly made popcorn its mouthwatering smell is also the major aroma emitted by binturong pee, according to Prof. Drea and co-authors. What the heck is a Binturong? Binturong have been described as having a distinct smell similar to that of popcorn or corn chips. I guess it depends on your perspective. Binturongs smell like popcorn. But if you walk past a binturong, that’s precisely the scent you’ll notice. Found in the densest rain forests of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Malaysia, the binturong is nocturnal, grows to be about six feet long, and is covered in long black fur.. Weird & Wacky, Copyright © 2020 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. When frightened, they spray their musk, which smells like buttered popcorn. Meet the bearcat (also called the binturong), a small, shy, bushy-tailed mammal ... that also happens to smell exactly like buttered popcorn. 'S smell: it gives off the scent you ’ ll notice the.. … Mmm, popcorn with a specific smell that makes a lot of people think of hot, buttered.. Always the best guide of what to eat - after all, bearcat smells. 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