C. c. civetta(Schreber, 1776) C. c. congicaCabrera, 1929 C. c. schwarziCabrera, 1929 C. c. australisLundholm, 1955 C. c. volkmanniLundholm, 1955 C. c. pauliKock, Künzel and Rayaleh, 2000
TheAfrican civet (Civettictis civetta) is a largeviverrid native tosub-Saharan Africa, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands andsecondary forests. It is listed asLeast Concern on theIUCN Red List since 2008. In some countries, it is threatened by hunting, and wild-caught individuals are kept for producingcivetone for theperfume industry.[1]
The African civet is primarilynocturnal and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset. It is asolitarymammal with a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarsepelage and rings on the tail are an effectivecryptic pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of theraccoon. Other distinguishing features are its disproportionately large hindquarters and its erectile dorsal crest. It is anomnivorous generalist, preying on small vertebrates,invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores capable of eating toxic invertebrates such as termites and millipedes.[3][4] It detects prey primarily by smell and sound rather than by sight. It is the only living member of thegenusCivettictis.[5]
C. c. volkmanni also described by Lundholm in 1955 was a specimen from the vicinity ofOtavi inNamibia.[9]
C. c. pauli described in 2000 byDieter Kock, Künzel and Rayaleh was a specimen collected close to the coast nearDjibouti.[10]
A 1969 study noted that this civet showed enough differences from the rest of theviverrines in terms of dentition to be classified under its own genus.[11]
A 2006phylogenetic study showed that the African civet is closely related to the genusViverra. It was estimated that theCivettictis-Viverraclade diverged fromViverricula around 16.2Mya; the African civet split fromViverra 12.3 Mya. The authors suggested that thesubfamily Viverrinae should be bifurcated into Genettinae (Poiana andGenetta) and Viverrinae (Civettictis,Viverra, andViverricula). The following cladogram is based on this study.[12]
Thegeneric nameCivettictis is a fusion of theFrench wordcivette and theGreek wordictis, meaning "weasel". Thespecific namecivetta and the common name "civet" come from the Frenchcivette or theArabiczabād orsinnawr al-zabād ("civet cat").[13]
The African civet has a coarse and wiryfur that varies in colour from white to creamy yellow to reddish on the back. The stripes, spots, and blotches are deep brown to black. Horizontal lines are prominent on the hind limbs, spots are normally present on its midsection and fade into vertical stripes above the forelimbs. Its muzzle is pointed, ears small and rounded. A black band stretches across its small eyes, and two black bands are around its short broad neck. Following the spine of the animal extending from the neck to the base of the tail is the erectiledorsal crest. The hairs of the erectile crest are longer than those of the rest of the pelage.[5]
Thesagittal crest of its skull is well-developed providing a large area for attachment of thetemporal muscle. Thezygomatic arch is robust and provides a large area for attachment of themasseter muscle. This musculature and its strongmandible give it a powerful bite. Its dental formula is3.1.4.23.1.4.2. Its black paws are compact with hairless soles, five digits permanus in which the first toe is slightly set back from the others. Its long, curved claws are semi-retractile. Its head-and-body length is 67–84 cm (26–33 in), with a 34–47 cm (13–19 in) long tail. The average weight is 11 to 15 kg (24 to 33 lb) within a range of 7 to 20 kg (15 to 44 lb).[5]It is the largestviverrid in Africa.[16] Only thebinturong is likely heavier among the world's viverrids.[17] Its shoulder height averages 40 cm (16 in).[18] Both male and female have perineal and anal glands, which are bigger in males.[5] The perineal glands are located between thescrotum and the penis in males, and between the anus and thevulva in females.[19]
African civets typically sleep during the day in the tall grasses near water sources in central and southern Africa. It often inhabits savannahs, forests, and sometimes near rivers as the tall grasses and thickets present provide them with necessary cover during the day.[5] InGuinea'sNational Park of Upper Niger, it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997.[20]InGabon'sMoukalaba-Doudou National Park, it was photographed close to forested areas during a survey in 2012.[21]InBatéké Plateau National Park, it was recorded ingallery forest along theMpassa River during surveys conducted between June 2014 and May 2015.[22]
African civets deposit theirfeces in large piles calledlatrines, or specifically "civetries".[19][25] The latrines are characterized by fruits, seeds,exoskeletons of insect and millipede rings, and occasionally clumps of grass.[26] The role of civet latrines as a mechanism of seed dispersal and forest regeneration is still being researched.[27][28] Likefelids, male African civetsscent mark by sprayingurine backwards.[29]
African civets are typically solitary creatures. They use their perineal gland secretion to mark their territories around their civetries. These markings typically follow common routes and paths and lie within 100 meters of civetries 96.72% of the time.[30]
If an African civet feels threatened, it raises its dorsal crest to make itself look larger and thus more formidable and dangerous to attack. This behavior is apredatory defense.[31]
Captive females arepolyestrous.[36]Mating lasts 40 to 70 seconds.[19]In Southern Africa, African civets probably mate from October to November, and females give birth in the rainy season between January and February.[34]
The average lifespan of a captive African civet is 15 to 20 years. Females create a nest which is normally in dense vegetation and commonly in a hole dug by another animal. Female African civets normally give birth to one to four young. The young are born in advanced stages compared to mostcarnivores.[clarification needed] They are covered in a dark, short fur and can crawl at birth. The young leave the nest after 18 days but are still dependent on the mother for milk and protection for another two months.[37]
In 2006, it was estimated that about 9,400 African civets are hunted yearly in the Nigerian part and more than 5,800 in the Cameroon part of theCross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests.[38]Skins and skulls of African civets were found in 2007 at theDantokpa Market in southern Benin, where it was among the most expensive small carnivores. Local hunters considered it a rare species, indicating that the population declined due to hunting for trade asbushmeat.[39]
The African civet has historically been hunted for the secretion of perinealglands. This secretion is a white or yellow waxy substance calledcivetone, which has been used as a basic ingredient for manyperfumes for hundreds of years.[5] In Ethiopia, African civets are hunted alive, and are kept in small cages. Most die within three weeks after capture, most likely due to stress. Extraction of the civetone is cruel and has been criticised by animal rights activists.[40] The writerDaniel Defoe once invested in a scheme to raise civets in captivity for their secretions.[41]
^Schreber, J. C. D. (1778)."Die CivetteViverra civetta".Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen. Erlangen: Wolfgang Walther. pp. 418–420.
^Kock, D.; Künzel, T.; Rayaleh, H. A. (2000). "The African civet,Civettictis civetta (Schreber 1776), of Djibouti representing a new subspecies (Mammalia, Carnivora, Viverridae)".Senckenbergiana Biologica.80 (1/2): 241−246.
^Petter, G. (1969). "Interpretive Evolution des charactères de la dentures des Viverrides africaines" [interpretive evolution of characters of the teeth in African Viverridae].Mammalia (in French).33 (4):607–625.doi:10.1515/mamm.1969.33.4.607.S2CID84087004.
^Gibb, H. A. R.; Lewis, B.; Ménage, V. L.; Pellat, C.; Schacht, J., eds. (2009).Encyclopaedia of Islam (H-Iram) (2nd ed.). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill. p. 809a.ISBN978-90-04-08118-5.
^abAerts, R. (2019). "Forest and woodland vegetation in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien". In Nyssen J.; Jacob, M.; Frankl, A. (eds.).Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains: The Dogu'a Tembien District. Springer International Publishing.ISBN9783030049546.
^Hunter, L. (2019).Carnivores of the world (Vol. 117). Princeton University Press.
^Shorrocks, B.; Bates, W. (2015).The biology of African savannahs. USA: Oxford University Press.
^abcEwer, R. F.; Wemmer, C. (1974). "The behaviour in captivity of the African civet,Civettictis civetta (Schreber)".Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie.34 (4):359–394.doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1974.tb01809.x.
^Abiyu, A.; Teketay, D.; Glatzel, G.; Gratzer, G. (2015). "Tree seed dispersal by African civets in the Afromontane Highlands: too long a latrine to be effective for tree population dynamics".African Journal of Ecology.53 (4):588–591.Bibcode:2015AfJEc..53..588A.doi:10.1111/aje.12198.
^Engel, T. R. (2000).Seed dispersal and forest regeneration in a tropical lowland biocoenosis (Shimba Hills, Kenya. Logos Verlag.
^abSmithers, R. H. N. (1971). "Viverra civetta".The Mammals of Botswana. Pretoria: University of Pretoria. pp. 162−163.
^Skinner, J. D.; Smithers, R. H. N. (1990).The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion. University of Pretoria. pp. 470–471.ISBN978-0869798027.
^Mallinson, J. J. (1969). "Notes on breeding the African civetViverra civetta at Jersey Zoo".International Zoo Yearbook.9 (1): 92−93.doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1969.tb02635.x.
.jpg)
.jpg)
