Overview
Distribution
Range Description
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Geographic Range
Viverra zibetha, also known as the Indian civet, is found from Indochina to southern China. It is also found in Nepal, Bangladesh, the Malay Peninsula, Hainan, and Vietnam.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native )
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Physical Description
Morphology
Physical Description
Indian civets have large bodies that are gray or brown in color. Body length is about 34 inches with a tail length of 13 inches. They have black spots on the body as well as black and white stripes on the sides of the neck. In most cases there are two white stripes and three black stripes. The tail has a number of black rings around it. Limbs are black and the forefeet contain lobes of skin on the third and fourth digit that protect the retractile claws. Males are slightly larger than females.
Range mass: 5 to 11 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
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Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
Its diet consists of a wide range of animals, including fish, birds, lizards, frogs, insects, scorpions (and other arthropods) and crabs, as well as poultry and garbage (Lekagul and McNeely 1977).
In Lao PDR, this species is found in tall forest, both evergreen and deciduous, and adjacent degraded areas, over at least 200 to 1000 m, with few recent records from below 400 m (Duckworth et al. 1999); however, there are many records from other countries, e.g. Myanmar, below this altitude (Than Zaw et al. in press). They are believed to breed throughout the year, with two litters per year, and two to four young per litter (Lekagul and McNeely 1977). Breeding and resting dens are usually holes in the ground which were originally dug by other species. It was recorded in secondary forest, that was logged in the 1970s, and which surrounds a palm estate, in Malaysia in 2000-01 by Azlan (2003).
Like Viverricula and Civettictis, but to a generally much lesser extent, this civet has been used as a source of civetone, an oil-like substance secreted by the perineal gland used by the animal for territorial marking.
Systems
- Terrestrial
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Habitat
Viverra zibetha live in grasslands, scrub, and densely forested areas. They are commonly found near human habitats. They live in burrows that have been dug by other animals.
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest
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Trophic Strategy
Food Habits
Civets are carnivorous. They prey on birds, frogs, snakes, small mammals, chickens, and hens. They also eat fruit, roots, eggs, and have been recorded eating fish and crabs.
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Life History and Behavior
Life Expectancy
Lifespan/Longevity
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 20.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 15.0 years.
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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
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Reproduction
Reproduction
Females are polyestrous, breeding throughout the year. They have two litters per year and each litter can have up to four young. They are born in a hole in the ground or in very dense vegetation. Young can open their eyes in ten days and begin being weaned at one month of age. Weight at birth is less than 100g and doubles in 12 days. At the end of one month, the birth weight has increased four fold. The females raise the young on their own.
Average number of offspring: 3.
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Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
History
- 1996Lower Risk/least concern
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Conservation Status
The Ahmedabad Zoo in India has a small population of Indian civets. They were formerly kept in order to collect their glandular secretions.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
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Trends
Population
Population Trend
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Threats
Threats
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Management
Conservation Actions
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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems
Benefits
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Viverra zibetha prey upon domestic animals, such as chickens, placing them in conflict with farmers.
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Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Viverra zibetha secrete a substance called civet. It is used commercially to produce perfumes. They may also influence forest structure and re-growth by aiding in seed dispersal.
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Wikipedia
Large Indian civet
The large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha) is a member of the Viverrid family native to Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the species as Near Threatened, mainly because of trapping-driven declines in heavily hunted and fragmented areas, and the heavy trade as wild meat.[1]
Contents |
Characteristics
Large Indian civets are generally grizzled greyish brown, with white and black bars along their neck, usually two white stripes and three black stripes on the tail, and a white muzzle. The hair on their back is longer. Their claws are retractable. They have hair in between their paw pads. This a large vivverid, measuring behind only the binturong and the African civet in size. The head-and-body length can range from 50 to 95 cm (20 to 37 in), the tail measuring 38 to 59 cm (15 to 23 in) and the hindfoot measuring 9 to 14.5 cm (3.5 to 5.7 in) long. Weight ranges from 3.4 to 9.2 kg (7.5 to 20 lb).[2][3]
Distribution and habitat
The large Indian civet ranges from Nepal, northeast India, Bhutan to Myanmar, Thailand, the Malay peninsula and Singapore to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and China.[1]
Subspecies
Five subspecies are recognized:[4]
- V. z. zibetha (Linnaeus, 1758) is found in Nepal, Bhutan, upper Bengal;
- V. z. ashtoni (Swinhoe, 1864)
- V. z. picta (Wroughton, 1915) is found east of Assam
- V. z. pruinosus (Wroughton, 1917)
- V. z. hainana (Wang and Xu, 1983)
Six subspecies have been proposed but a taxonomic revision is needed. The validity of the new species Viverra tainguensis described in 1997 by Sokolov, Rozhnov and Pham Chong from Tainguen Plateau in Gialai Province in Vietnam has been seriously questioned, and it is now generally considered a synonym of V. zibetha.[1] Today research DNA confirm that be comprises the schedule of genes Viverra zibetha picta subspecies.
Ecology and behaviour
Diet
Large Indian civets are mostly carnivorous. They eat birds, frogs, snakes, small mammals, eggs, crabs, and fish, but also fruit and roots.
Social behavior
Large Indian civets are solitary and nocturnal. They spend most of their time on the ground, though they are agile climbers. During the day, they sleep in burrows in the ground that have been dug by other animals and abandoned. They are territorial and mark their territories with excretions from their anal glands. Their territory can range from 1.7 to 5.4 km2 (0.66 to 2.1 sq mi).
Reproduction
Females breed at any time of the year, and generally have two litters a year. A litter usually consists of four young. They are born in a hole in the ground or in dense vegetation. They open their eyes at 10 days and are weaned at one month of age.
Conservation
Viverra zibetha is totally protected in Malaysia under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and listed on Category II of the China Wildlife Protection Law. China listed it as ‘Endangered’ under criteria A2acd, and it is a class II protected State species (due to trapping for food and scent glands). It is protected in Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. It is found in several protected areas throughout its range. The population of India is listed on CITES Appendix III.[1]
In Hong Kong, it is a protected species under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170.
Local names
In Assamese it is called Gendera.
In Bengali it is called Bham or Bham Biral and Gandho Gokul or Khatas. Biral= cat, Gandho= smell or scent. Gokul= the place of Lord Krishna (Govinda) . In Bengal there is a delicate variety of sweet and pleasant smelling rice known as Govindabhog rice (the rice which is offered to Lord Govinda). The secretion from prene gland of civet cat smells like that variety of rice, so it is often called as "Gandho Gokul".
References
- ^ a b c d e Duckworth, J.W., Wozencraft, C., Wang Yin-xiang, Kanchanasaka, B., Long, B. (2008). "Viverra zibetha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/41709.
- ^ Smith, A. T., Xie, Y. (2008). A guide to the mammals of China. Princeton University Press.
- ^ Boitani, Luigi, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone Books (1984), ISBN 978-0671428051
- ^ Wozencraft, W. Christopher (16 November 2005). "Order Carnivora (pp. 532-628)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=14000423.
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Vietnamese Civet
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The Tainguen Civet earlier described as separate species, now is suppose at synonyms of Viverra zibetha picta. Specimens in museums have from 3 to 7,5 kg. Tainguen civet eat mainly small mammals, frogs, birds, snakes or other variety foods.
References
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