Genetta wasnamed and described byFrédéric Cuvier in 1816.[6] The number of species in the genus is controversial. The following were proposed as valid in 2005:[1]
Genetta andPoiana are estimated to have diverged about9.5 to 13.3 million years ago.[40]Genetta species are estimated to have diverged at least8.5 million years ago starting with the Hausa genet, followed by the giant genet3.98 to 6.01 million years ago.[41]
Genets are slender cat-like animals with a long body, a long ringedtail, largeears, a pointed muzzle and partly retractile claws. Their fur is spotted, butmelanistic genets have also been recorded. They havemusk glands andanal sacs.[42][43] They also have perineal glands.[44]
All genet species have a dark stripe along the spine; they differ in fur color and spot pattern. Their size varies between species from 40.9 to 60 cm (16.1 to 23.6 in) in head-to-body length with 40 to 47 cm (16 to 19 in) long tails; their tails are almost as long as head and body.[1] They have large eyes with ellipticalpupils; theiris is about the color of the fur. They can move their eyes within their sockets to a limited extent, and move their heads to focus on moving objects. Theirpinnae have a fine layer of hair inside and outside. They can move the pinnae by about 80° from pointing forward to the side, and also from an erect position to pointing downwards. Theirrhinarium is important for bothsensing smell andtouch.[45]
All genet species areindigenous to Africa. Thecommon genet was introduced to southwestern Europe during historical times.[1] It was brought from theMaghreb toSpain as a semi-domestic animal about 1000 to 1500 years ago, and from there spread to southernFrance andItaly.[46] In Africa, it inhabits wooded habitats north of theSahara, insavanna zones south of the Sahara tosouthern Africa and along the coast ofArabia,Yemen andOman.[47]
Therusty-spotted genet is widely distributed in sub-Saharan woodland savannah, savannah-forest mosaic, rain forest and montane forest up to an elevation of 3,400 m (11,200 ft) inEthiopia.[49]
Genets are highly agile, have quick reflexes and exceptional climbing skills. They are the onlyviverrids able to stand on their hind legs. They walk, trot, run, climb up and down trees, and jump. They live on the ground, but also spend much of their time in trees. They are considered solitary, except during mating and when females have offspring.[45]
In 2014, a camera trap in theHluhluwe–Imfolozi Park captured a large spotted genet riding on the back of two different buffalo and a rhinoceros. This was the first time a genet was recorded hitch-hiking.[59]
Females have up to five young in a litter.[42] They rear their young alone.[45]
Common genet females becomesexually mature at the age of two years. Aftercopulation, thegestation period lasts for 10 to 11 weeks.[3] They arediestrous and give birth twice a year, during spring and late summer to autumn.[60] Captive common genets have been known to live up to 13 years.[61] A male genet lived for 22.7 years in captivity.[62]
Loss of habitat due to deforestation and conversion of land to agriculture is a major threat for the crested servaline genet and Johnston's genet. Both genet species are also hunted for meat and skins. They are listed asVulnerable on theIUCN Red Lists.[63][64] These are also major threats for Bourlon's genet, which is classified asNear Threatened.[65]
The aquatic genet may be affected by hunting, but major threats have not yet been identified. It is listed asNear Threatened on the IUCN Red List.[66]
The king genet and the Abyssinian genet are so poorly known that threats cannot be identified. Both are listed asData Deficient on the IUCN Red Lists.[67][68]
The etymological origin of the word 'genet' is uncertain; it may be a derivation of theArabic namedjarnet.[3] The English word comes fromOld French 'genete', which came fromSpanish 'gineta'.[77]
Most genets that are kept as pets are common genets, rusty-spotted genets or Cape genets.[78] As enforced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), keeping a genet as a pet is prohibited in certain states in the US. Some states have specific laws regarding the possession of exotic pets.[79] Genet prices can exceed $1500 for both the purchase and shipment of the animal. Genets are not suited to life in captivity, and it is not recommended to keep one as a pet. They are solitary animals in the wild and will not get along well with other pets such as cats or dogs.[80]
^Werdelin, L.; Peigné, S. (2010)."Carnivora". In Werdelin, L.; Sanders, W. J. (eds.).Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 603–657.ISBN978-0-520-25721-4.
^Linnaeus, C. (1758)."Viverra genetta".Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis 1 (10th ed.). Stockholm: Laurentius Salvius.
^Schreber, J. C. D. (1778)."Die BisamkazeViverra tigrina".Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. Vol. Dritter Theil. Erlangen: Walther. pp. 425–426.
^Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (1832)."Descriptions d'une nouvelle espèce du genre Genette. Genetta. Cuv.".Études Zoologiques: Ouvrage comprenant l'histoire et la description d'un grand nombre d'animaux récemment découverts et des observations nouvelles sur plusieurs genres déjà connus. Paris: Lequien Fils. p. 73.
^Gray, J. E. (1828)."Viverra maculata".Spicilegia zoologica: original figures and short systematic descriptions of new and unfigured animals. London: Treuttel, Wurtz & Co. p. 9.
^Hayman, R. W. (1940). "The Mammals of the North Gameroons Forest Area. Being the Results of the Percy Sladen Expedition to the Mamfe Division of the British Cameroons". In Sanderson, I. T. (ed.).The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. Vol. 24. pp. 623–726.
^abcKingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. Academic Press, San Diego, California.
^Crawford-Cabral, J. (1981).Análise de dados craniométricos no géneroGenetta G. Cuvier (Carnivora, viverridae). Lisboa: Junta de Investigações Científicas do Ultramar, Centro de Zoologia.
^Roeder, Jean-Jacques. "Marking behaviour and olfactory recognition in genets (Genetta genetta L., Carnivora-Viverridae)." Behaviour 72.3 (1980): 200-210.
^Delibes, M. & Gaubert, P. (2013). "Genetta genetta Common Genet (Small-spotted Genet)". In Kingdon, J. & Hoffmann, M. (eds.).The Mammals of Africa. Vol. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses. London, UK: Bloomsbury. pp. 223–229.
^Gaubert, P. (2013).Genetta tigrina Cape Genet. In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 247–249. Bloomsbury, London, UK.
^Angelici, F.M. and Gaubert, P. (2013).Genetta maculata Large-spotted Genet (Blotched Genet). In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 232–236. Bloomsbury, London, Uk.
^Gaubert, P. and Dunham, A. E. (2013).Genetta pardina Pardine Genet (West African Large-spotted Genet). In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 237–238. Bloomsbury, London, UK.
^Diaz Behrens, G. and Van Rompaey, H. (2002). The Ethiopian Genet,Genetta abyssinica (Rüppell 1836) (Carnivora, Viverridae): ecology and phenotypic aspects. Small Carnivore Conservation 27: 23–28.
^Van Rompaey, H. and Colyn, M. (2013).Genetta servalina Servaline Genet. In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 242–245. Bloomsbury, London, UK.
^abCrawford-Cabral, J. (2013).Genetta angolensis Miombo Genet. In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 218–220. Bloomsbury, London, UK.
^Van Rompaey, H. and Colyn, M. /2013).Genetta victoriae Giant Genet. In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 249–250. Bloomsbury, London, UK.
^Gaubert, P., Veron, G., Colyn, M., Dunham, A., Shultz, S. and Tranier, M. (2002). A reassessment of the distribution of the rareGenetta johnstoni (Viverridae, Carnivora) with some newly discovered specimens. Mammal Review 32: 132–144.
^Van Rompaey, H. and Colyn, M. /2013).Genetta piscivora Aquatic Genet. In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 239–240. Bloomsbury, London, UK.
^Angelici, F. M. and Luiselli, L. (2005). Habitat associations and dietary relationships between two genets,Genetta maculata andGenetta cristata. Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et la Vie) 60: 341–354.
^Dunham, A. E. and Gaubert, P. (2013).Genetta johnstoni Johnston's Genet. In: J. Kingdon and M. Hoffmann (eds.) The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, pp. 229–231. Bloomsbury, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
^Zabala, Jabi and Iñigo Zuberogoitia. (2010). Late summer-early winter reproduction in common genets,Genetta genetta. Mammalia 74: 89–91.
^Flower, Major Stanley S. (1931). "Contributions to our Knowledge of the Duration of Life in Vertebrate Animals. V. Mammals".Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.101 (1):145–234.doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1931.tb06192.x.
^Weigl, R. (2005). Longevity of Mammals in Captivity: From the Living Collections of the World: A List of Mammalian Longevity in Captivity. Kleine Senckenberg-Reihe 48. E. Schweizerbart'sche, Stuttgart
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