The civet is a fascinating cat like animal that can be found throughout central and southern Africa as well as southern Asia. The civet is actually a general name to describe a number of different species in the same family. This article will help you to know what a civet is, and some interesting information about the different species.
The African civet is one of the better known types of civet. Some of the lesser known types are called fanaloka, palm civets, and otter civets just to name a few.
Now civets aren’t the first things that come to your mind when you think of animals and the main reason is that they are known for inhabiting the densest forest of Africa that most people wouldn’t dare explore due to predators but they do remind you of the strong perfumes that is unique and not spoken about often.
Civets commonly like to live in forests and grasslands but are equally at home in the marshes. Depending on the species, they may live in trees, or stay on the ground as in the case of the African civet. The palm civets like to stay amongst the trees. The strange otter civet is adapted to the water. They are even wonderful swimmers and use this to their advantage when hunting.
Civets like to eat a number of different things. They are generally omnivores, though they are classified by most people as carnivores. They eat fruit, nuts, berries, small rodents and reptiles, and even birds. Civets will forage for any of these things most often at night, when they come out to feed.
The civet is generally a night feeder, that sleeps during the day. They are solitary creatures, unless they are ready to mate. At that time, the civet will spread a musk from glands in their rear by rubbing their hind parts against trees in the area they inhabit.
Years ago, the civet’s musk was a source of perfume scent, but this is frowned upon today. In today’s perfume world, the musk is replaced synthetically. This was in response to many people championing the fair treatment of animals.
The civet looks very much like a large house cat as far as its body. It is long and lean, and generally will sport stripes and spots of black against its white and Grey background color. This pattern helps the civet to blend in with the forest as it hunts for prey. This also allows the civets to hide from the predators of the forest.
The civet also has a long nose that is quite adept at smell. It will forage along the forest floor looking for the fruit, insects, and small animals that it likes to eat. Many think the civet’s nose looks similar to a rodent.
The civet is an animal that is quite a wonder to look at and should be treated with respect. It is a wonderful example of an animal that was once taken advantage of, but is now free to roam the wild unfettered. Though the civet is still hunted, it is generally free to live amongst the beautiful trees and forests of southern Africa and Asia.