Civet

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Civets
Binturong
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Viverridae Gray, 1821
Subfamilies
Hemigalinae Paradoxurinae Viverrinae

The 32 species of civet (pronounced /ˈsɪvɪt/), genet, and linsang make up the family Viverridae. They are small, lithe-bodied, mostly arboreal members of the order Carnivora. General appearance is broadly cat-like, but the muzzle is extended and often pointed, rather like an otter or a mongoose. The Civet's length, excluding its long tail, is about 17 to 28 in (400 to 700 mm) and its weight is about 3 to 10 lb (1 to 5 kg).

Civet cat is an imprecise term that is used for a variety of cat-like creatures such as the Ringtail or North American Civet Cat (Bassariscus astutus), related to the raccoons; the musk-producing African Civet Cat (Civettictis civetta); Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis — a true cat) and African Wildcat (Felis libyca — a true cat). The term is best avoided to prevent confusion among viverrids, racoons and cats.

In Sri Lanka, the species is known as "Kalawedda" by the Sinhala speaking community. However, most people use the terms "Uguduwa" and "Kalawedda" interchangeably, though the term "Uguduwa" refers to Palm Civet rather than the civet cat.

Viverrids are native to most of the Old World tropics, nearly all of Africa bar the area immediately south of the Mediterranean, Madagascar, and the Iberian Peninsula. Favoured habitats include woodland, savanna, mountains and, above all, tropical rainforest. In consequence, many are faced with severe loss of habitat; several species are considered vulnerable and the Otter Civet is classified as endangered.

Although it resembles the other civets, the African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata) is genetically distinct and belongs in its own monotypic family, the Nandiniidae. Furthermore, recent genetic research indicates that the Asiatic linsangs of the genus Prionodon are not true viverrids but rather more closely related to the Felidae. The Madagascan fossa Cryptoprocta ferox was similarly long though to be a member of the Viverridae, but genetic evidence indicates that this animal is a member of an endemic Madagascan carnivore radiation related to the Herpestidae.

Breeding occurs year round; gestation is 60-81 days. Some species may have 2 litters per year. Each litter may contain 1-6 babies who are fully furred at birth. Very little is known about their mating habits.

Civets are omnivorous, supplementing a meat diet (both hunted and scavenged) with fruit, eggs, and possibly roots. One of the Common Palm Civet's favorite fruits is the coffee "berry." The coffee bean within often survives, and it is sometimes gathered and sold as caphe cut chon (fox-dung coffee) in Vietnam or Kopi Luwak (civet coffee) in Indonesia.

Despite their endangered species status, civets are also prized for their meat.

It has been suggested that the practice of eating palm civets may have resulted in the SARS virus outbreak of 2003. In January 2004, Guangdong province in China banned sales of civet cats (they are not cats) and ordered the slaughter of all captive civets. In January 2004 the United States announced an embargo on the importation of civets.

In 2005, the WWF released photos taken by a night time camera trap of an unknown carnivore (nicknamed the cat-fox) on Borneo, an island of Indonesia. Some scientists think it is either a new species of civet, or that it is one of the more rare species finally being spotted in modern times, such as Hose's Palm Civet.

The civet has been the source of a highly-valued musk, used as a stablizing agent in perfumes. Although civets were at one time killed for their musk, they more recently have been "recycled" for this purpose. Also called "civet," excretions are scraped from the civet's perianeal glands, a painful process. Both male and female cats produce these strong-smelling excretions. At least one civet cat farmer in Ethiopia raises civets for their musk, although this practice is dying out as perfumers move toward using synthetic fixatives. Occasionally, this musk can produce an odor which can cause vomiting in humans.

[edit] Species

• Subfamily Hemigalinae
  • Chrotogale owstoni — Owston's Palm Civet
  • Cynogale bennettii — Otter Civet
  • Diplogale hosei — Hose's Palm Civet
  • Hemigalus derbyanus — Banded Palm Civet
• Subfamily Paradoxurinae
  • Arcticis binturong — Binturong
  • Arctogalidia trivirgata — Small-toothed Palm Civet
  • Macrogalidia musschenbroekii — Giant Civet
  • Paguma larvata — Masked Palm Civet
  • Paradoxurus hermaphroditus — Common Palm Civet
  • Paradoxurus zeylonensis — Golden Palm Civet
  • Paradoxurus jerdoni — Jerdon's Palm Civet
• Subfamily Viverrinae
  • Civettictis civetta — African Civet
  • Genetta abyssinica — Abyssinian Genet
  • Genetta angolensis — Angolan Genet
  • Genetta cristata — Crested Genet
  • Genetta genetta — Common Genet
  • Genetta johnstoni — Johnston's Genet
  • Genetta maculata — Panther Genet
  • Genetta servalina — Servaline Genet
  • Genetta thierryi — Haussa Genet
  • Genetta tigrina — Blotched Genet
  • Genetta victoriae — Giant Genet
  • Osbornictis piscivora — Aquatic Genet
  • Poiana leightoni — Leighton's Linsang
  • Poiana richardsoni — African Linsang
  • Prionodon linsang — Banded Linsang
  • Prionodon pardicolor — Spotted Linsang
  • Viverra civettina — Malabar Civet
  • Viverra megaspila — Large-spotted Civet
  • Viverra tangalunga — Oriental Civet
  • Viverra zibetha — Large Indian Civet
  • Viverricula indica — Small Indian Civet

[edit] Civet/Genet Hybrids

In "The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication" Charles Darwin noted: The Genetta has bred both here and in the Jardin des Plantes, and produced hybrids. Others have also reported civet/genet hybrids.

[edit] External links

• Genet: Wildlife summary from the African Wildlife Foundation
• BBC: 'New mammal' seen in Borneo
• University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web page
• ITIS page
• The Straight Dope on Civet Cats