The Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina), also known as the Malabar civet, is a viverrid endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN as its population size is estimated to number fewer than 250 mature individuals, with no subpopulation greater than 50 individuals.^[2] In the 1990s, isolated populations still survived in less disturbed areas of South Malabar but were seriously threatened by habitat destruction and hunting because they are outside protected areas.^[3]

It is called Jawadi Veruku - ജാവാദി വെരുകു് in Malayalam and Chirathe Bekku in Kannada. It was once common along the lowland coastal tracts of Kerala and Karnataka in South India and became rare by the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1960s, it was still often used for producing civetin musk.

Characteristics

The ground-colour of the Malabar large-spotted civet is clear grey, and the coat tolerably long and full with a nearly black pattern of closely set spots. The tail has five white rings extending farther up the sides. The muzzle and chin are white. In external characters, it is distinguished principally from the large-spotted civet by the greater nakedness of the soles of the feet, the hairs on the interdigital webs being between the digital pads, forming submarginal patches, with the skin in front and at the sides of the plantar pad naked. On the hind foot also remnants of the metatarsal pads persist as two naked spots, the external a little above the level of the hallux, the internal considerably higher. A male individual kept in the Zoological Gardens of Trivandrum in the 1930s measured 30 in (76 cm) in head and body with a 13 in (33 cm) long tail and weighed 14.5 lb (6.6 kg).^[4]

The spots roughly form vague vertical stripes on the body. Another distinguishing feature from the sympatric small Indian civet (Viverricula indica), with which it might be confused, is its shorter tail when compared its body length and the presence of a crest of black erectile hairs on the back, which are characteristic of all the Viverra species.^{[citation needed]}

Distribution and habitat

The Malabar large-spotted civet 's original habitat was found in the Malabar Coast moist forests belt below the Western Ghats, where it lived in wooded plains and adjoining hill slopes. It was once very common in the coastal districts of Malabar and Travancore. Extensive deforestation has reduced the Malabar forests to a series of isolated patches. Cashew plantations are a refuge, which probably hold most of the surviving populations of the Malabar large-spotted civet, and are now threatened by large-scale clearance for rubber plantations.^[5]

Ecology and behavior

This nocturnal animal is carnivorous, solitary and aggressive in nature. It forages on the ground and has never been observed in trees. It feeds on small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, birds eggs and some vegetable matter. The species is reportedly difficult to maintain in captivity for extracting musk, a secretion from anal glands of all civets that is used as a stabilizing agent in perfumes, in oriental medicine and flavouring 'beedis' (local cigarettes).

Threats

The major threat facing isolated populations that have managed to survive in marginal habitats is changing cash crop practices and accidental hunting with dogs. They tend to be treated as raiders of poultry, and are captured and killed when encountered.^[6]

Taxonomic history

Reginald Innes Pocock considered V. megaspila and V. civettina to be distinct species.^[4] Ellerman and Morrison-Scott considered V. civettina a subspecies of V. megaspila.^[7]

References