Alex, “What are things that smell the same?”
Brian Switek, WIRED:
Binturongs smell like popcorn. Or popcorn smells like binturongs. I guess it depends on your perspective. Either way, when I stopped by the enclosure of the large, blue-grey bearcat at the San Diego Zoo last month, the warm, buttery scent was unmistakable. What I heard celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna say on television for so many years was true — the big viverrid smelled like a movie theater lobby.
Switek goes on to wonder if the reason behind the smell mirrors that of maned wolf urine - which has an odor similar to marijuana.1 Sadly, he is left with no real answer.
I recommend reading the article. It includes references to perfume glands, a binturong love story, and teat ownership.
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I wonder of the maned wolf eats the binturong when it gets a case of the munchies? ↩︎