Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix iii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Civets are a nuisance to farmers because they forage in the henhouses and even kill lambs.(Schliemann 1990)
In the past, the African civets were often kept cruelly for the secretions of their perineal glands. The secretion, called civet, when highly diluted could make a pleasant perfume. For many centuries, the civet played an important economical role in the economy of Europe, North Africa, and near the Middle East. The trade for civet musk has decreased remarkably. However, in 1988, it was reported that over 2,700 captive civets in Ethiopia were producing the musk. The civet musk, mainly exported to France was selling for $438 per kg. (Nowak 1999)
C. civetta is omnivorous. It consumes mainly wild fruit, carrion, rodents, insects (crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and termites), eggs, reptile, and birds. The African civet is able to eat items that are usually poisnous or distasteful to most mammals, including the fruit of Stychnos, millipedes, and highly-decayed carrion. Civets do not use their paws for catching prey; instead, they overpower the prey with their teeth. Civets display various hunting behaviors. The prey may be shaken so violently that the spinal column is broken or a rodent may be bitten and thrown around. (Animal Breeders 1999, Richardson and Levitan 1994, Schliemann 1990)
Civettictis civetta, the African civet, inhabits the savannahs and the forests of southern and central Africa. The African civet is rarely found in arid regions; however, it can be found along river systems that project into the arid areas of Niger, Mali, and Chad. (Ray 1995).
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
African civets live both in the forest and in open country, but they seem to require a covering of tall grasses or thicket to provide safety in the daytime. They rarely can be found in arid regions of Africa. Instead, they are usually found close to permanent water systems. (Ray 1995)
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest
Aquatic Biomes: rivers and streams
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 15.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 28.0 years.
Civettictis civetta has many unmistakable features, including large hindquarters, a low-head stance, and short (approximately 1-4 inch) mane which extends down its back. This mane becomes erect when the animal is excited or scared, making it look larger. Individual civets are recognized by the details of their dark face masks, which resemble those of a raccoon, and also white neck stripes. Their bodies are silver or cream in color with brownish black markings and spots. The body length is 24 to 36 inches, with a 17 to 24 inch tail. Unlike the digital and palmar pads, the civets central pads possess no hair. This Civet has five digits with long, non-retractable claws. They have large, broad molars suitable for crushing and grinding. The dental formula is 3/3, 1/1, 4/4, 2/2= 40.(Ray 1995, Animal Breeder 1999, Schliemann 1990).
Range mass: 12 to 15 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
The average lifespan of the African civet is 15 to 20 years. There is no favored breeding season in West Africa. The breeding season in Kenya and Tanzania occurs in March through October. In southern Africa, breeding occurs in the warm, wet summer months from August to January, when there are a large number of insects. Captive females first give birth at about 1 year of age. Females are polyestrous and are able to have two or three litters a year. There are usually 1 to 4 young in a litter. Mothers have six nipples to feed their young.
Young civets are born in advanced stages relative to most carnivores. They are fully furred, although the fur is darker, shorter, and softer than adult fur. Their markings are more poorly defined than those of adults. Young are able to crawl at birth, and the hind legs support the body by the 5th day. They start leaving the nest between 17-18 days, and the first sign of play behavior is seen at about 2 weeks. The young are completely dependent on mother's milk for about 6 weeks. After about 42 days, their mother provides them solid food. By the second month, they are catching food for themselves. The behavior of mouth suckling, in which the young licks their mother's mouth and drink her saliva, is seen just before the mother begins to provide the young with solid food.
The mother transports the young in her mouth, clasping them by the back or by the neck. Captive mothers sometimes kill and devour their young at birth. (Animal Breeder 1999, Ray 1995, Schliemann 1990)
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 380.5 g.
Average gestation period: 65 days.
Average number of offspring: 2.5.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 213 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 365 days.
The African Civet (Civettictis civetta) has been described by Kingdon (1997) as "a shaggy, low-slung, dog-like animal with an ornate pattern of bands and blotches on body and tail, black limbs and a boldly marked face mask with pale forehead, white muzzle, and black eye patches." This is the largest terrestrial civet, weighing up to 20 kg, with a coarse coat and an erectile crest. The skull is heavily built, with well developed crests (especially in males), short and powerful canines, and well developed carnassials (the 4th upper premolars and the first lower molars) which are adapted to cutting through flesh with a scissor-like action. As is the case for other viverrids, both sexes have a perianal scent glant between the anus and the genitals which produces a very odorous substance known as "civet". In the African Civet this gland is visible as two large swellings, each around 30 mm long and 19 mm wide. Landmarks in territories are scent-marked with secretions from these large perianal glands. Quite independently, African Civets make very conspicuous dung middens known as "civettries" that are strongly scented with anal gland secretions. African Civets are generally solitary and normally silent, but growl deeply and cough explosively if threatened.
African Civets are found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa but are absent from South Africa (except for the Transvaal region in the northeastern part of the country), Namibia, Eritrea, and drier areas of the Horn. They are most abundant in forested or partly forested mosaics and in cultivated and marshy areas. They occur in dry, open country where dense cover grows along watercourses, around stone outcrops, and in broken gullied land. African Civets may be found up to around 1700 m elevation.
These mainly nocturnal civets are omnivorous, feeding on vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants (mainly roots, shoots, and fruits), including grass. They are able to feed on poisonous fruits such as Strychnos, distasteful insects such as the pyrgomorphid grasshoppers known as stink locusts (Zonoceras), millipedes, and dangerous snakes. They can fast for up to 2 weeks when food is scarce.
The copious flow of secretions from African Civet perianal glands has been harvested from captive specimens as "civetone", a floral scent fixative. Civets are apparently not bred on the civet farms maintained for this purpose so new animals are captured in the wild to replace those that die.
African Civets are widepread and common in spite of very frequent road kills and hunting for bushmeat and for their skins.
(Kingdon 1997; Jennings and Veron 2009 and references therein)
The African civet (Civettictis civetta) weighs between 7-15 kg, with the females being only slightly larger than the males (Ray and Sunquist, 2001; Skinner and Chimimba, 2005). Females produce 1-4 young per year, usually during the warm spring and summer months. Their diet is dominated by insects; however they will feed on anything from poisonous snakes to carrion and fruits (Ray and Sunquist, 2001; Mills and Hes, 1997). These animals have a peculiar (yet mildly sophisticated) habit of creating civetries, which are basically civet latrines. These are usually around 0.5 m2 in area and are located at the boundaries between civet territories (Tsegaye et al., 2008). These latrines are easily recognised by abundant and large scats and can be used for years (Mills and Hes, 1997).
This mammal is widely distributed across Africa, practically found anywhere south of the Sahara, occupying primarily bushveld savannah, riverine habitats and forested areas (Mills and Hes, 1997; Admasu et al., 2004). It is a solitary and nocturnal species, with peak activity one or two hours after sunset (Skinner and Chimimba, 2005). They are also excellently camouflaged to blend into the night veld sporting grey fur marked with black bands and spots (Mills and Hes, 1997).
Perhaps best known for its role in the perfume industry, the civet excretes what is known as “civet” from its anal gland, which was widely used as an ingredient in perfumes as it provides a long-term scent (Mills and Hes, 1997; Tsegaye et al., 2008). However, with the production of synthetic civetone, the often cruel manner in which these animals were caged and milked has been greatly reduced. Due to its wide distribution range and relatively high numbers in the wild, the African civet is listed as “least concern” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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.[1]
The African civet is primarily nocturnal and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset. It is a solitary mammal with a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarse pelage and rings on the tail are an effective cryptic pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of the raccoon. Other distinguishing features are its disproportionately large hindquarters and its erectile dorsal crest. It is an omnivorous generalist, preying on small vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores capable of eating toxic invertebrates such as termites and millipedes.[3][4] It detects prey primarily by smell and sound rather than by sight. It is the only living member of the genus Civettictis.[5]
Viverra civetta was the scientific name introduced in 1776 by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber when he described African civets based on previous descriptions and accounts.[6] Schreber is therefore considered the binomial authority.[2] In 1915, Reginald Innes Pocock described the structural differences between feet of African and large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha) specimens in the zoological collection of the Natural History Museum, London. Because of marked differences, he proposed Civettictis as a new genus, with C. civetta as only species.[7] The following subspecies were proposed in the 20th century:
A 1969 study noted that this civet showed enough differences from the rest of the viverrines in terms of dentition to be classified under its own genus.[11]
A 2006 phylogenetic study showed that the African civet is closely related to the genus Viverra. It was estimated that the Civettictis-Viverra clade diverged from Viverricula around 16.2 Mya; the African civet split from Viverra 12.3 Mya. The authors suggested that the subfamily Viverrinae should be bifurcated into Genettinae (Poiana and Genetta) and Viverrinae (Civettictis, Viverra and Viverricula). The following cladogram is based on this study.[12]
Small Indian civet (Viverricula indica)
African civet (Civettictis civetta)
ViverraLarge Indian civet (Viverra zibetha)
Large-spotted civet (V. megaspila)
Malayan civet (V. tangalunga)
The generic name Civettictis is a fusion of the French word civette and the Greek word ictis, meaning "weasel". The specific name civetta and the common name "civet" come from the French civette or the Arabic zabād or sinnawr al-zabād ("civet cat").[13]
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The African civet has a coarse and wiry fur that varies in colour from white to creamy yellow to reddish on the back. The stripes, spots, and blotches are deep brown to black. Horizontal lines are prominent on the hind limbs, spots are normally present on its midsection and fade into vertical stripes above the forelimbs. Its muzzle is pointed, ears small and rounded. A black band stretches across its small eyes, and two black bands are around its short broad neck. Following the spine of the animal extending from the neck to the base of the tail is the erectile dorsal crest. The hairs of the erectile crest are longer than those of the rest of the pelage.[5]
The sagittal crest of its skull is well-developed providing a large area for attachment of the temporal muscle. The zygomatic arch is robust and provides a large area for attachment of the masseter muscle. This musculature and its strong mandible give it a powerful bite. Its dental formula is 3.1.4.23.1.4.2. Its black paws are compact with hairless soles, five digits per manus in which the first toe is slightly set back from the others. Its long, curved claws are semi-retractile. Its head-and-body length is 67–84 cm (26–33 in), with a 34–47 cm (13–19 in) long tail. The average weight is 11 to 15 kg (24 to 33 lb) within a range of 7 to 20 kg (15 to 44 lb).[5] It is the largest viverrid in Africa.[16] Only the binturong is likely heavier among the world's viverrids.[17] Its shoulder height averages 40 cm (16 in).[18] Both male and female have perineal and anal glands, which are bigger in males.[5] The perineal glands are located between the scrotum and the penis in males, and between the anus and the vulva in females.[19]
African civets typically sleep during the day in the tall grasses near water sources in central and southern Africa. It often inhabits savannahs, forests, and sometimes near rivers as the tall grasses and thickets present provide them with necessary cover during the day.[5] In Guinea's National Park of Upper Niger, it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997.[20] In Gabon’s Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, it was photographed close to forested areas during a survey in 2012.[21] In Batéké Plateau National Park, it was recorded in gallery forest along the Mpassa River during surveys conducted between June 2014 and May 2015.[22]
In the Republic of Congo, it was recorded in the Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic of Odzala-Kokoua National Park during surveys in 2007.[23]
In the transboundary Dinder–Alatash (Sudan and Ethiopia) protected area complex it was recorded during surveys between 2015 and 2018.[24] It is also frequently spotted in Ethiopia's northern Degua Tembien massif.[14]
African civets deposit their feces in large piles called latrines, or specifically "civetries".[19][25] The latrines are characterized by fruits, seeds, exoskeletons of insect and millipede rings, and occasionally clumps of grass.[26] The role of civet latrines as a mechanism of seed dispersal and forest regeneration is still being researched.[27][28]
African civets are typically solitary creatures. They use their perineal gland secretion to mark their territories around their civetries. These markings typically follow common routes and paths and lie within 100 meters of civetries 96.72% of the time.[29]
If an African civet feels threatened, it raises its dorsal crest to make itself look larger and thus more formidable and dangerous to attack. This behavior is a predatory defense.[30]
Research in southeastern Nigeria revealed that the African civet has an omnivorous diet. It feeds on rodents like giant pouched rats (Cricetomys), Temminck's mouse (Mus musculoides), Tullberg's soft-furred mouse (Praomys tulbergi), greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus), typical striped grass mouse (Lemniscomys striatus), amphibians and small reptiles like Hallowell's toad (Amietophrynus maculatus), herald snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia), black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis), common agama (Agama agama), Mabuya skinks, insects such as Orthoptera, Coleoptera as well as eggs, fruits, berries and seeds.[31] African civets can take prey as large as hares but can be somewhat clumsy killers with sizable prey.[5] Stomach content of three African civets in Botswana included foremost husks of fan palm (Hyphaene petersiana) and jackalberry (Diospyros mespiliformis), and some remains of African red toad (Schismaderma carens), Acrididae grasshoppers and larvae of Dytiscidae beetles.[32]
Green grass is also frequently found in feces, and this seems to be linked to the eating of snakes and amphibians.[33]
Captive females are polyestrous.[34] Mating lasts 40 to 70 seconds.[19] In Southern Africa, African civets probably mate from October to November, and females give birth in the rainy season between January and February.[32]
The average lifespan of a captive African civet is 15 to 20 years. Females create a nest which is normally in dense vegetation and commonly in a hole dug by another animal. Female African civets normally give birth to one to four young. The young are born in advanced stages compared to most carnivores. They are covered in a dark, short fur and can crawl at birth. The young leave the nest after 18 days but are still dependent on the mother for milk and protection for another two months.[35]
In 2006, it was estimated that about 9,400 African civets are hunted yearly in the Nigerian part and more than 5,800 in the Cameroon part of the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests.[36] Skins and skulls of African civets were found in 2007 at the Dantokpa Market in southern Benin, where it was among the most expensive small carnivores. Local hunters considered it a rare species, indicating that the population declined due to hunting for trade as bushmeat.[37]
The African civet has historically been hunted for the secretion of perineal glands. This secretion is a white or yellow waxy substance called civetone, which has been used as a basic ingredient for many perfumes for hundreds of years.[5] In Ethiopia, African civets are hunted alive, and are kept in small cages. Most die within three weeks after capture, most likely due to stress. Extraction of the civetone is cruel and has been criticised by animal rights activists.[38]
The population of African civet in Botswana is listed under Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).[39]
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 primarily nocturnal and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset. It is a solitary mammal with a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarse pelage and rings on the tail are an effective cryptic pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of the raccoon. Other distinguishing features are its disproportionately large hindquarters and its erectile dorsal crest. It is an omnivorous generalist, preying on small vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores capable of eating toxic invertebrates such as termites and millipedes. It detects prey primarily by smell and sound rather than by sight. It is the only living member of the genus Civettictis.
