African Civet

The African civet (Civettictis Civetta) is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands and secondary forests. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008. In some countries, it is threatened by hunting, and wild-caught individuals are kept for producing civetone for the perfume industry.

The African civet is largely nocturnal, sleeping in dense vegetation during the day and waking up at dusk. It is a solitary mammal with distinctive coloring, including rings on its tail and black and white spots covering its rough fur. Its eyes have black stripes around them that closely resemble raccoon eyes. Its erectile dorsal crest and excessively big hindquarters are other distinctive characteristics. It is a generalist omnivore that feeds on tiny vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and plant materials. One of the rare carnivores that can consume dangerous insects like millipedes and termites. Instead of using sight, it mostly uses scent and sound to find prey. It is the only specimen of its kind.