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Large Indian Civet

Viverra zibetha
LC · Least concern Carnivora Viverridae
Large Indian Civet (Viverra zibetha)
Photo: © Ian Dugdale, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociability
Solitary

Description

The largest civet in South and Southeast Asia, with a continuous black stripe along the spine that recalls the crest of other mammals and stands erect when the animal feels threatened.

How to identify it

Large for its family, with grey to tawny fur and a continuous black stripe along the spine from behind the shoulders to the base of the tail; black legs and a tail with alternating light and dark rings.

Signs and tracks

Leaves tracks and signs including droppings containing remains of small vertebrates and invertebrates at fixed latrines for territorial marking; radio-tracking in Thailand has recorded home ranges of 2.7-8.8 km².

Habitat and range

A wide variety of forest and scrub habitats across South and Southeast Asia.

Diet

An opportunistic carnivore; hunts a wide variety of small animals.

Behaviour

Solitary and mainly nocturnal, it marks its territory with fixed latrines and glandular secretions.

Conservation

A widespread species, though its population is declining due to hunting and trapping for the bushmeat trade.

Threats

Hunting and trapping for the bushmeat trade.

Other accounts in Viverridae

See all species accounts for carnivores · Full species index

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