The fur is long and coarse, that on the tail being longer than that on the body. The hairs are black and lustrous, often with a gray, fulvous, or buff tip. The head is finely speckled with gray and buff, and the edges of the ears and the whiskers are white. The ears have long hairs on the back that project beyond the tips and produce a fringed or tufted effect. The tail is particularly muscular at the base and is prehensile at the tip.
Females have two pairs of mammae.
The binturong lives in dense forests and is nowhere abundant. It is mainly arboreal and nocturnal. When resting, it usually lies curled up, with the head tucked under the tail. Its movements, at least during daylight hours, are rather slow and cautious, the tail slowly uncoiling from the last support as the animal moves carefully forward. The diet also includes birds, carrion, fruit, leaves, and shoots.