Civet Cat : Spotted
A rare civet cat, typically found in the Seshachalam forests near Tirumala, was recently spotted near Tadepalli in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.
- Civet is any of a number of long-bodied, short-legged carnivores of the family Viverridae.
- The Viverridae family includes civets, genets, oyans, and linsangs.
- There are about 15 to 20 species, placed in 10 to 12 genera.
- Civets are found in Africa, southern Europe and Asia.
- There are 8 different species of Wild civets found in India, out of which Common Palm civets and Small Indian civets can be spotted across the country.
- The rarest of all civets is the Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina), also known as the Malabar civet, endemic to the Western Ghats.
- It is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ under the IUCN Red List.
- They have a thickly furred tail, small ears, and a pointed snout, i.e. catlike appearance.
- The coloration varies widely among the species but commonly is buff or grayish with a pattern of black spots or stripes or both.
- Length ranges from about 40 to 85 cm), with the tail accounting for another 13 to 66 cm, and weight ranges from 1.5 to 11 kg).
- Civets are usually solitary and live in tree hollows, among rocks, and in similar places, coming out to forage at night.
- They feed on fruits and insects, opportunistically supplemented with small animals.
