A South-East Asian forest civet with a dark banded pattern reminiscent of a felid, though it is not closely related to cats; specialised in searching for invertebrates on the forest floor with its elongated snout.
Medium-sized, with pale to beige fur crossed by broad dark transverse bands on the back, and an elongated, pointed snout adapted for rooting for invertebrates; its genus name hints at a general resemblance to mustelids, though it is unrelated to them.
Roots in the leaf litter of the forest floor searching for invertebrates, leaving the ground visibly disturbed; elongated droppings containing remains of insects and other invertebrates; may climb and shelter in tree hollows. Tracks and signs include small rootings and scraped leaf litter.
Lowland coniferous forest, its primary habitat threatened by human activity, in Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Mainly forest-floor invertebrates, obtained by rooting with its snout, supplemented by small vertebrates.
Terrestrial and nocturnal, foraging by actively rooting in the leaf litter; capable of climbing when necessary.
Population in an estimated decline of around 30% over three generations, due mainly to the loss of its preferred lowland forest habitat.
Loss of lowland forest to logging and conversion to plantations.
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