Asian palm civet range: native in green, introduced in red
TheAsian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), also calledcommon palm civet,toddy cat andmusang, is aviverrid native toSouth andSoutheast Asia. Since 2008, it isIUCN Red Listed asleast concern as it accommodates to a broad range ofhabitats. It is widely distributed with large populations that in 2008 were thought unlikely to be declining. It is threatened bypoaching for theillegal wildlife trade.
Close up of an Asian palm civetIllustration of skull and dentition, byGervais inHistoire naturelle des mammifères
The Asian palm civet's long, stocky body is covered with coarse, shaggy hair that is usually greyish in colour. It has a white mask across the forehead, a small white patch under each eye, a white spot on each side of the nostrils, and a narrow dark line between the eyes. The muzzle, ears, lower legs, and distal half of the tail are black, with three rows of black markings on the body. Its head-to-body length is about 53 cm (21 in) with a 48 cm (19 in) long unringed tail. It weighs 2 to 5 kg (4.4 to 11.0 lb). Its analscent glands emit anauseating secretion as achemical defense when threatened or upset.[4][page needed]
Asian palm civet on a tree atKerala, IndiaAsian palm civet with pups in an urban area atBaranagar,Kolkata, India
The Asian palm civet is thought to lead asolitary lifestyle, except for brief periods duringmating. It is both terrestrial and arboreal, showing anocturnal activity pattern with peaks between late evening until after midnight.[5] It is usually active between dawn and 4:00 in the morning, but less active during nights when the moon is brightest.[6]
Scent marking behaviour andolfactory response to various excretions such as urine, feces, and secretion of theperineal gland differs in males and females. Scent marking by dragging the perineal gland and leaving the secretion on the substrate was most commonly observed in animals of both sexes. The duration of the olfactory response varied and depended both on the sex and excretion type. The palm civet can distinguish animal species, sex, familiar and unfamiliar individuals by the odor of the perineal gland secretion.[7]
The Asian palm civet is anomnivore feeding foremost on fruits such as berries and pulpy fruits. It thus helps to maintaintropical forest ecosystems via seed dispersal.[5] It eatschiku,mango andrambutan, but also small mammals and insects. It plays an important role in the natural regeneration ofPinanga kuhlii andP. zavana palms atGunung Gede Pangrango National Park.[8]
Due to its solitary and nocturnal habits, little is known about its reproductive processes and behaviour.[9] In March 2010, a pair of palm civets was observed when attempting to mate. The pair copulated on the tree branch for about five minutes. During that period, the male mounted the female 4–5 times. After each mounting, the pair separated for a few moments and repeated the same procedure. After completion of mating, the pair frolicked around for some time, moving from branch to branch on the tree. The animals separated after about six minutes and moved off to different branches and rested there.[10]
Asian palm civet housed in a cage for the production of kopi luwak
Since 2008, the Asian palm civet isIUCN Red Listed asLeast Concern. The global population was thought to be large and unlikely to be declining as of 2008. It is threatened by hunting and trapping, in particular in southern China; in some parts of India, some ethnic tribes kill and consume its meat.[2] The oil extracted from small pieces of the meat, kept inlinseed oil in a closed earthen pot and regularly sunned, is used indigenously as a cure forscabies.[11]
The Asian palm civet is listed onCITES Appendix III.[2][3] There is a quota in place in Indonesia, precluding trade from certain areas, setting a cap on the number of civets that can be taken from the wild, and allowing only 10% of those removed from the wild to be sold domestically. This quota is largely ignored by hunters and traders and is not enforced by authorities.[16] This species has become popular as a pet in Indonesia in recent years, causing a rise in the numbers found in markets in Java and Bali. The majority of the animals sold as pets originate from the wild. The high numbers of animals seen, lack of adherence to the quota and lack of enforcement of the laws are causes for conservation concern.[15]
Paradoxurus philippinensis byClaude Jourdan in 1837 was a specimen from thePhilippines[23] However, a genetic study in 2015 reclassifies it as a separate species.[24]
Palawan and Borneo specimens are genetically close, so the Asian palm civet on Palawan island might have dispersed fromBorneo during thePleistocene. It is possible that people later introduced Asian palm civet into other Philippines islands.[25][26]
InPhilippine mythology, theBagobo people believe a being named Lakivot was said to be a huge and powerful palm civet who can talk. Lakivot defeated various monsters, including the one-eyed monster Ogassi and thebusaw beings who guarded the Tree of Gold, which had the Flower of Gold that he sought. He was eventually transformed into a handsome young man, and married the person to whom he gave the Flower of Gold.[27]ThePhilippine twenty-peso note currently features the Asian palm civet on the reverse side.[28]
^Lēkhakun, B.; McNeely, J. A. (1977).Mammals of Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: Association for the Conservation of Wildlife.
^abcGrassman, L.I. Jr. (1998). "Movements and fruit selection of twoParadoxurinae species in a dry evergreen forest in Southern Thailand".Small Carnivore Conservation (19):25–29.
^Joshi, A.R.; Smith, J.L.D.; Cuthbert, F.J. (1995). "Influence of food distribution and predation pressure on spacing behavior in palm civets".Journal of Mammalogy.76 (4). American Society of Mammalogists:1205–1212.doi:10.2307/1382613.JSTOR1382613.
^Rozhnov, V. V.; Rozhnov, Y. V. (2003). "Roles of Different Types of Excretions in Mediated Communication by Scent Marks of the Common Palm Civet,Paradoxurus hermaphroditus Pallas, 1777 (Mammalia, Carnivora)".Biology Bulletin.30 (6). MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica:584–590.Bibcode:2003BioBu..30..584R.doi:10.1023/B:BIBU.0000007715.24555.ed.S2CID19102865.
^Thohari, M.; Santosa, Y. (1986).A preliminary study on the role of civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) in the natural regeneration of palms (Pinanga kuhlii andP. zavana) at Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park, West Java (Indonesia). Symposium on Forest Regeneration in Southeast Asia, 9–11 May 1984. Biotrop Special Publication. pp. 151–153.
^Prater, S. H. (1980).The book of Indian animals (Second ed.). Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society.
^abcdefPocock, R. I. (1939)."Paradoxurus hermaphroditus".The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. 1. Mammalia. London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 387–415.
^Pallas, P. S. (1778)."Das Zwitterstinkthier". In Schreber, J. C. D. (ed.).Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen. Erlangen: Wolfgang Walther. p. 426.
^Desmarest, A.G. (1820)."Civette Bondar".Mammalogie, ou, Description des espèces de mammifères. Vol. Premiere Partie. Paris: Chez Mme. Veuve Agasse. p. 210.
^Horsfield, T. (1824)."Viverra musanga, var. javanica".Zoological researches in Java, and the neighbouring islands. London: Kingsbury, Parbury & Allen. pp. 148–151.
^Gray, J.E. (1832)."Pallas's Paradoxurus".Illustrations of Indian zoology; chiefly selected from the collection of Major-General Hardwicke. London: Treuttel, Wurtz, Treuttel, Jun. and Richter. pp. Plate 8.
^Patou, M.L.; Wilting, A.; Gaubert, P.; Esselstyn, J.A.; Cruaud, C.; Jennings, A.P.; Fickel, J. & Veron, G. (2010). "Evolutionary history of theParadoxurus palm civets – a new model for Asian biogeography".Journal of Biogeography.37 (11):2092–2093.Bibcode:2010JBiog..37.2077P.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02364.x.S2CID2705179.
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