The species is found in Peninsular Malaysia (Ratnam et al., 1995; Azlan, 2003; Kawanishi and Sunquist, 2004; Laidlaw pers. comm.), southern Myanmar (Than Zaw et al, in press), Borneo (Wells et al., 2005) and Sumatra (Holden, 2006), southern Thailand, peninsular Malayasia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, as well as on Bangka and Belitung Islands (Van Rompaey 1993). On Java, it has been suggested to be probably restricted to the mountains in the west (e.g. Mt. Halimun, see Suyanto, 2003), but there are two historical specimens from the Ijang plateau in East Java (held in Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin), and, given very low levels in recent decades of small carnivore survey in Java (see, e.g., Riffel 1991), the species could still occur on other mountains in Java. On Borneo and Sumatra, it is probably widespread, although it is unclear whether the species occurs in Central Kalimantan swamps (not reported from Sebangau or Tanjung Puting). It was found up to 1100 m on Java by Bartels (1941) . This species was recorded up to 1800 m in Mount Kinabulu National Park in Borneo Payne et al. (1998). It was recorded by Azlan (2003) in Jerangau Forest Reserve (04 55.5 N, 103 05.7 E) in Peninsular Malaysia in 2000-01. In Sumatra, it has been found up to 2,400 m (Holden 2006) in Kerinci Seblat NP.

The most northerly record is at 15° 20'N (Steinmetz and Simcharoen 2006). The record at 17° 54'N (Humphrey and Bain 1990) in northern-central Thailand is probably erroneous (Steinmetz and Simcharoen 2006). On the basis of portrayal in picture-guides alone, this species can be readily confused with spotted linsang.

Western Malaysia, Sumatra, Bornea, Java, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native )

The body of the banded linsang is 40 cm long, and the tail is about 34 cm. Banded linsangs are very pale yellow with five large transverse dark bands on their backs. They have broad stripes on their necks with small elongate spots and stripes on their flanks. The tail has seven or eight dark bands and ends in a dark tip. Banded linsangs have retractile claws which are very sharp, and have specialized razor-sharp teeth for shearing their food. The soles of their feet have hair between the pads and their toes. (Cincinatti Zoo, 1997)

Average mass: 700 g.

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

Banded linsangs live in tropical rainforests. They spend a large portion of their time in the trees.

Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest

Banded linsangs are omnivorous. A main part of their diet consists of small vertebrates such as squirrels, rats, birds and lizards. (LA Natural History Museum, 1997)

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 10.0 years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 10.7 years.

Observations: One wild born animal was about 12 years old when it died in captivity (Richard Weigl 2005). Nonetheless, not much is known about the longevity of these animals.

Very little is known about these animals' reproduction behavior.

Average birth mass: 40 g.

Average number of offspring: 2.25.

CITES Appendix II.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions

none noted

Potentially important as an attraction to ecotourism. The Banded Linsang is found in many parks and reserves throughout Thailand, and they could be a draw for wildlife observers.