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| Civets | |
|---|---|
 | |
| African civet (Civettictis civetta) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Groups included | |
| Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa | |
Acivet (/ˈsɪvɪt/) is a small, lean, mostlynocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The termcivet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the familyViverridae. Most of the species's diversity is found in southeast Asia. Civets do not form amonophyletic group, as they consist only of certain members of the Viverridae andEupleridae.
TheAfrican civet,Civettictis civetta,[1] has historically been the main species from which amusky scent used in perfumery, also referred to as "civet", was obtained.
The common name is used for a variety ofcarnivoran mammal species, mostly of thefamilyViverridae. It is also used to refer to theAfrican palm civet and theMalagasy civet.
The African palm civet (Nandinia binotata) is genetically distinct and belongs in its own monotypic family,Nandiniidae.
TheMalagasy civet (Fossa fossana) belongs to a separate familyEupleridae, with other carnivorans of Madagascar. TheMalagasy civet was to be placed in thesubfamilyHemigalinae with thebanded palm civets and then in its own subfamily, Fossinae, because of similarities with others in the group pointed out byGregory, but it is now classified as a member of the subfamilyEuplerinae, afterPocock pointed out more similarities with that one.[2]
Civets are also calledtoddy cats in English,marapaṭṭi (മരപട്ടി) inMalayalam,musang inMalay, Filipino, andIndonesian, andurulǣvā (උරුලෑවා) inSinhalese.[citation needed] There can be confusion among speakers of Malay because the indigenous wordmusang has been mistakenly applied tofoxes by printed media instead ofrubah, which is the correct but lesser-known term.[citation needed]
A minority of writers usecivet to refer only toCivettictis,Viverra andViverricula civets.[3] However, in more common usage in English, the name also covers the civets of the viverrid generaChrotogale,Cynogale,Diplogale,Hemigalus,Arctogalidia,Macrogalidia,Paguma andParadoxurus.[citation needed]
InSri Lanka, theAsian palm civet, Small indian civet and Golden palm civet species is known as "uguduwa" by the Sinhala-speaking community. The termsuguduwa andkalawedda are used interchangeably by the Sri Lankan community to refer to the same animal. However, the term kalawedda is mostly used to refer to another species in the civet family, theGolden palm civet.[citation needed]
Sri Lanka also has an endemic civet species calledgolden palm civet. Recently this species was split into three separate endemic species asParadoxurus montanus,P. aureus, andP. stenocephalus. In Bangladesh andBengali-speaking areas of India, civets are known as "khatash" (Bengali:খাটাশ) for the smaller species and "bagdash" (Bengali:বাগডাশ) for the larger ones and is now extremely rare in Bangladesh (in theKhulna area of the country, the animal is also known as "shairel"). In Assamese this animal is known as "zohamola" (Assamese:জহামলা) which literally means "to havezoha aromatic feces". In MaharashtraMarathi-speaking areas of India, civets are known as "Udmanjar" (Marathi:उदमांजर).[citation needed]
InKerala, theMalayalam speaking areas ofIndia, the small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) is called "veruk" (വെരുക്).[citation needed] In adjoining coastal regions of Karnataka it is called 'beru'/ಬೆರು in kannada as also Tulu. 'Veruku' (வெருகு) in Tamil meant 'cat', particularly during the Sangam period (c. 100 BCE to 400 CE).
Civets have a broadly cat-like general appearance, though the muzzle is extended and often pointed, rather like that of anotter,mongoose or even possibly aferret. They range in length (excluding the tail) from around 43 to 71 cm (17 to 28 in) and in weight from around 1.4 to 4.5 kg (3 to 10 lb).
The civet produces amusk (namedcivet after the animal) which is highly valued as a fragrance and stabilizing agent for perfume. Both male and female civets produce the strong-smelling secretion, which is produced by the civet'sperineal glands. It is harvested by either killing the animal and removing the glands, or by scraping the secretions from the glands of a live animal. The latter is the preferred method today.
Animal rights groups, such asWorld Animal Protection, express concern that harvesting musk is cruel to animals. Between these ethical concerns and the availability of synthetic substitutes, the practice of raising civets for musk is dying out.Chanel, maker of the popular perfumeChanel No. 5, claims that natural civet has been replaced with a synthetic substitute since 1998.[4]
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Viverrids are native tosub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, theIberian Peninsula, southern China, South and Southeast Asia. Favoured habitats include woodland, savanna, and mountainbiome. In consequence, many are faced with severe loss of habitat; several species are considered vulnerable and theotter civet is classified as endangered. Some species of civet are very rare and elusive and hardly anything is known about them, e.g., theHose's civet,endemic to themontane forests of northernBorneo, is one of the world's least known carnivores.[5]
Civets are unusual among feliforms, and carnivora in general, in that they areomnivores or evenherbivores. Many species primarily eat fruit. Some also use flower nectar as a major source of energy. As human habitats have increased and expanded, civets have preyed on livestock and smaller domesticated animals, such as fowls, ducks, rabbits, and cats.
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Kopi luwak, calledcà phê cứt chồn in Vietnam andTagalog:kape alamid in the Philippines) iscoffee that is prepared usingcoffee cherries that have been eaten and partly digested by theAsian palm civet and then harvested from its fecal matter.[6][7]
The civets digest the flesh of the coffee cherries but pass the beans inside, where stomach enzymes affect the beans. This adds to the coffee's prized aroma and flavor.[6] About 0.5 kg (1 lb) can cost up to $600 in some parts of the world and about $100 a cup in others.[8]
This demand has led to civet farms on which the civets are fed a diet composed almost exclusively of such cherries, causing them to become severely malnourished. Farm conditions are also routinely described as deplorable. Filipino and Vietnamese oversight of these farms is nonexistent.[9]
TheMalayan civet is found in many habitats, including forests, secondary habitats, cultivated land, and the outskirts of villages; the species is highly adaptable to human disturbances, including "selective logging" (partial forest removal).[10]
African civets (Civettictis civetta) are listed as Least Concern. However, in certain regions of Africa, the population is declining; this is due to hunting, direct and indirect poisoning, and an increase in large-scale farm fences that limit population flow. They are also seen as comparatively abundant options in thebushmeat trade.[11]
Masked palm civets sold for meat in local markets ofYunnan China, carried theSARS virus fromhorseshoe bats to humans;[12] this resulted in the2002–2004 SARS outbreak.
Civets are also raised in captivity by humans for two reasons. In Asia, they are raised to process coffee beans. InEthiopia, they are raised in captivity to collect theirperineal secretions, also calledcivet, to be used in making perfume.[13][14]
Palm civets often venture intocities andsuburbs, with people often complaining about civet faeces and the noise of the animals' climbing on roofs. Some studies have been undertaken to examine and mitigate such human–animal conflict.[15]
In William Shakespeare'sAs You Like It, act II, scene 2, the civet cat is mentioned as the "uncleanly" source of courtiers' perfumes.
