The 35 species of civet, genet and linsang make up the family Viverridae. They are small, lithe-bodied, mostly aboreal members of the order Carnivora. General appearance is broadly cat-like, but the muzzle is extended and often pointed, rather like an otter or a mongoose. The Civet's length, excluding its long tail, is about 17 to 28 in (400 to 700 mm) and its weight is about 3 to 10 lb (1 to 5 kg).

They are native to most of the Old World tropics, nearly all of Africa bar the area immediately south of the Mediterranean, Madagascar, and the Iberian Peninsula. Favoured habitats include woodland, savanna, mountains and, above all, tropical rainforest. In consequence, many are faced with severe loss of habitat: several species are classed as vulnerable and both the Otter Civet and the Falanouc are classified as endangered.

Although it resembles the other civets, the African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata) is genetically distinct, and belongs to its own monotypic family, the Nandiniidae.

Civets are omnivorous, supplementing a meat diet (both hunted and scavenged) with fruit, eggs, fish, insects, and possibly roots. One of the Civet's favorite fruits is the coffee "berry" which it seeks out and eats, but the bean often survives, which is sometimes gathered and sold as caphe cut chon, or "fox-dung coffee", in Vietnam or Kopi Luwak, "Luwak (civet) coffee" in Indonesia.

Civets are prized for their musk and their fur. Civet is used to refer to the musk they produce, as well as the animals themselves: it is used in small quantities in some perfumes. This musk is gathered by scraping it out of the Civet's anal sacs, a very painful process.

Despite their endangered species status, civets are also prized for their meat.

It has been suggested that the practice of eating them may have resulted in the SARS virus outbreak of 2003. In January 2004, Guangdong province in China banned sales of civet cats and ordered the slaughter of all captive civets. In January 2004 the United States announced an embargo on the importation of civets into that country.

Species

• Subfamily Cryptoproctinae
  • Cryptoprocta ferox - Fossa (animal)
• Subfamily Euplerinae
  • Eupleres goudotii - Falanouc
  • Fossa fossana - Malagasy Civet
• Subfamily Hemigalinae
  • Chrotogale owstoni - Owston's Palm Civet
  • Cynogale bennettii - Otter Civet
  • Diplogale hosei - Hose's Palm Civet
  • Hemigalus derbyanus - Banded Palm Civet
• Subfamily Paradoxurinae
  • Arcticis binturong - Binturong
  • Paradoxurus hermaphroditus - Common Palm Civet
  • Paradoxurus larvata - Masked Palm Civet
  • Paradoxurus zelonensis - Golden Palm Civet
  • Paradoxurus jerdoni - Jerdon's Palm Civet
  • Paradoxurus musschenbroekii - Sulawesi Palm Civet
  • Arctogalida trivirgata - Small-toothed Palm Civet
• Subfamily Viverrinae
  • Civetticus civetta - African Civet
  • Viverra civettina - Malabar Civet
  • Viverra megaspila - Large-spotted Civet
  • Viverra tangalunga- Oriental Civet
  • Viverra zibetha - Indian Civet
  • Genetta abyssinica - Abyssinian Genet
  • Genetta angolensis - Angolan Genet
  • Genetta genetta - Common or European Genet
  • Genetta johnstoni- Johnston's Genet
  • Genetta maculata - Panther Genet
  • Genetta servalina - Servaline Genet
  • Genetta thierryi- Haussa Genet
  • Genetta tigrina - Blotched Genet
  • Genetta victoriae - Giant Genet
  • Osbornictis piscivora - Aquatic Genet
  • Poiana richardsoni - African Linsang
  • Prionodon linsang - Banded Linsang
  • Prionodon pardicolor - Spotted Linsang
  • Viverricula indica - Small Indian Civet

External link

• University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web page (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Viverridae.html)
• ITIS page (http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=621757)
• The Straight Dope on Civet Cats (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010525.html)