African civet

Viverra civetta was the scientific name introduced in 1776 by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber when he described African civets based on previous descriptions and accounts.{{cite book |author=Schreber, J. C. D. |year=1778 |chapter=Die Civette Viverra civetta |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/SaYugthiereAbbiIIISchr#page/418/mode/2up |pages=418–420 |title=Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen |location=Erlangen |publisher=Wolfgang Walther}} Schreber is therefore considered the binomial authority.

In 1915, Reginald Innes Pocock described the structural differences between feet of African and large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha) specimens in the zoological collection of the Natural History Museum, London. Because of marked differences, he proposed Civettictis as a new genus, with C. civetta as only species.{{cite journal |last1=Pocock |first1=R. I. |year=1915 |title=On the Feet and Glands and other External Characters of the Viverrinae, with the description of a New Genus |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |volume=85 |pages=131−149 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1915.00131.x |url=https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofzoo19151298zool/page/130}}

The following subspecies were proposed in the 20th century:

• C. c. congica described by Ángel Cabrera in 1929 was a zoological specimen from the upper Congo River.{{cite journal |last1=Cabrera |first1=A. |year=1929 |title=Catálogo descriptivo de las mamíferos de la Guinea Española |journal=Memorias de la Real Sociedad Española de Historia Natural |volume=16 |pages=31−32 |url=http://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/spa/Libro.php?Libro=1412&Pagina=37 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• C. c. schwarzi was proposed by Cabrera in 1929 for African civet specimens from East Africa.
• C. c. australis described by Bengt G. Lundholm in 1955 was based on a male type specimen and three paratype specimens collected near the Olifants River in northeastern Transvaal province.{{cite journal |last1=Lundholm |first1=B. G. |year=1955 |title=Descriptions of new mammals |journal=Annals of the Transvaal Museum |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=279−303 |url=https://journals.co.za/docserver/fulltext/nfi_annalstm/22/3/396.pdf }}{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• C. c. volkmanni also described by Lundholm in 1955 was a specimen from the vicinity of Otavi in Namibia.
• C. c. pauli described in 2000 by Dieter Kock, Künzel and Rayaleh was a specimen collected close to the coast near Djibouti.{{cite journal |last1=Kock |first1=D. |last2=Künzel |first2=T. |last3=Rayaleh |first3=H. A. |year=2000 |title=The African civet, Civettictis civetta (Schreber 1776), of Djibouti representing a new subspecies (Mammalia, Carnivora, Viverridae) |journal=Senckenbergiana Biologica |volume=80 |issue=1/2 |pages=241−246 }}

A 1969 study noted that this civet showed enough differences from the rest of the viverrines in terms of dentition to be classified under its own genus.{{cite journal |last1=Petter|first1=G.|title=Interpretive Evolution des charactères de la dentures des Viverrides africaines |journal=Mammalia|date=1969|volume=33|issue=4|pages=607–625 |trans-title=interpretive evolution of characters of the teeth in African Viverridae|language=fr|doi=10.1515/mamm.1969.33.4.607|s2cid=84087004}}

A 2006 phylogenetic study showed that the African civet is closely related to the genus Viverra. It was estimated that the Civettictis-Viverra clade diverged from Viverricula around 16.2 Mya; the African civet split from Viverra 12.3 Mya. The authors suggested that the subfamily Viverrinae should be bifurcated into Genettinae (Poiana and Genetta) and Viverrinae (Civettictis, Viverra, and Viverricula). The following cladogram is based on this study.{{cite journal|last1=Gaubert|first1=P.|last2=Cordeiro-Estrela|first2=P.|title=Phylogenetic systematics and tempo of evolution of the Viverrinae (Mammalia, Carnivora, Viverridae) within feliformians: implications for faunal exchanges between Asia and Africa|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|date=2006|volume=41|issue=2|pages=266–78|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.034|url=http://uahost.uantwerpen.be/funmorph/raoul/fylsyst/gaubert2006.pdf|pmid=16837215|bibcode=2006MolPE..41..266G |access-date=2016-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004185817/http://uahost.uantwerpen.be/funmorph/raoul/fylsyst/gaubert2006.pdf|archive-date=2016-10-04|url-status=dead}} {{open access}}

{{clade| style=font-size:90%; line-height:100%

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Small Indian civet (Viverricula indica)

|2={{Clade

|1=African civet (Civettictis civetta)

|label2=Viverra

|2={{clade

|1=Large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha)

|2=Large-spotted civet (V. megaspila)

|3=Malayan civet (V. tangalunga)

}}

}}

}}

|2={{clade

|1=Genetta

|2=Poiana

}}

}}

}}

The generic name Civettictis is a fusion of the French word civette and the Greek word ictis, meaning "weasel". The specific name civetta and the common name "civet" come from the French civette or the Arabic zabād or sinnawr al-zabād ("civet cat").{{cite book|editor1-last=Gibb|editor1-first=H. A. R. |editor2-last=Lewis |editor2-first=B. |editor3-last=Ménage|editor3-first=V. L.|editor4-last=Pellat|editor4-first=C.|editor5-last=Schacht|editor5-first=J.|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam (H-Iram)|date=2009|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden, Netherlands|isbn=978-90-04-08118-5|page=809a|edition=2nd}}

• In Tigrinya: {{lang|ti|ዝባድ}} (zibad){{cite book |last1=Aerts |first1=R. |chapter=Forest and woodland vegetation in the highlands of Dogu’a Tembien |editor1=Nyssen J. |editor2=Jacob, M. |editor3=Frankl, A. |title=Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains: The Dogu'a Tembien District |date=2019 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=9783030049546 }}
• In Akan: {{lang|ak|kankane}}
• In Yoruba: {{lang|yo|Ẹtà}}, {{lang|yo|àgútà}}
• In Igbo: {{lang|ig|Edi}}{{Cite web|title=List of Animal Names in Igbo Language|url=https://www.igbostudy.com/blog/list-of-animal-names-in-igbo-language|access-date=2021-10-11|website=Igbostudy|date=25 August 2020 |language=en-US}}

{{multiple image |align= right |direction = vertical |image1 = Description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des mammifères récents et fossiles (Civettictis civetta skull).jpg |caption1 = Skull |image2 = Description iconographique comparée du squelette et du système dentaire des mammifères récents et fossiles (Civettictis civetta).jpg |caption2 = Skeleton |image 3=AfricanCivet.jpg |caption3=Drawing of an African civet}}

The African civet has a coarse and wiry fur 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 erectile dorsal crest. The hairs of the erectile crest are longer than those of the rest of the pelage.

The sagittal crest of its skull is well-developed providing a large area for attachment of the temporal muscle. The zygomatic arch is robust and provides a large area for attachment of the masseter muscle. This musculature and its strong mandible give it a powerful bite. Its dental formula is {{DentalFormula|upper=3.1.4.2|lower=3.1.4.2}}. Its black paws are compact with hairless soles, five digits per manus 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 {{cvt|67|-|84|cm}}, with a {{cvt|34|-|47|cm}} long tail. The average weight is {{cvt|11|to|15|kg}} within a range of {{cvt|7|to|20|kg}}.

It is the largest viverrid in Africa.{{cite book|last1=Estes|first1=R.D.|author-link=Richard Despard Estes|title=The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g977LsZHpcsC&q=%22african%20civet%22 |date=2004 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0-520-08085-0 |pages=289–292 |edition=4th}} Only the binturong is likely heavier among the world's viverrids.Hunter, L. (2019). Carnivores of the world (Vol. 117). Princeton University Press. Its shoulder height averages {{cvt|40|cm}}.{{cite book |last1=Shorrocks |first1=B. |last2=Bates |first2=W. |year=2015 |title=The biology of African savannahs |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=USA}} Both male and female have perineal and anal glands, which are bigger in males. The perineal glands are located between the scrotum and the penis in males, and between the anus and the vulva in females.{{cite journal |author1=Ewer, R. F. |author2=Wemmer, C. |year=1974 |title=The behaviour in captivity of the African civet, Civettictis civetta (Schreber) |journal=Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie |volume=34 |issue=4 |pages=359–394 |doi=10.1111/j.1439-0310.1974.tb01809.x}}

File:African civet.jpg

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. In Guinea's National Park of Upper Niger, it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997.{{Cite journal |last1=Ziegler |first1=S. |last2=Nikolaus |first2=G. |last3=Hutterer |first3=R. |date=2002 |title=High mammalian diversity in the newly established National Park of Upper Niger, Republic of Guinea |journal=Oryx |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=73–80 |doi=10.1017/S003060530200011X |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231894098|doi-access=free }}

In Gabon's Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, it was photographed close to forested areas during a survey in 2012.{{cite journal |author=Nakashima, Y. |year=2015 |title=Inventorying medium-and large-sized mammals in the African lowland rainforest using camera trapping |journal=Tropics |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=151–164 |doi=10.3759/tropics.23.151|doi-access=free }}

In Batéké Plateau National Park, it was recorded in gallery forest along the Mpassa River during surveys conducted between June 2014 and May 2015.{{cite journal |author1=Hedwig, D. |author2=Kienast, I. |author3=Bonnet, M. |author4=Curran, B. K. |author5=Courage, A. |author6=Boesch, C. |author7=Kühl, H. S. |author8=King, T. |year= 2018 |title=A camera trap assessment of the forest mammal community within the transitional savannah-forest mosaic of the Batéké Plateau National Park, Gabon |journal=African Journal of Ecology |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=777–790 |doi=10.1111/aje.12497|doi-access=free |bibcode=2018AfJEc..56..777H }}

In the Republic of Congo, it was recorded in the Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic of Odzala-Kokoua National Park during surveys in 2007.{{cite journal |author1=Henschel, P. |author2=Malanda, G.A. |author3=Hunter, L. |year=2014 |title=The status of savanna carnivores in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, northern Republic of Congo |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=95 |issue=4 |pages=882–892 |doi=10.1644/13-MAMM-A-306|doi-access=free }}

In the transboundary Dinder–Alatash (Sudan and Ethiopia) protected area complex it was recorded during surveys between 2015 and 2018.{{cite journal |author1=Bauer, H. |author2=Mohammed, A.A. |author3=El Faki, A. |author4=Hiwytalla, K.O. |author5=Bedin, E. |author6=Rskay, G. |author7=Sitotaw, E. |author8=Sillero-Zubiri, C. |display-authors=3 |year=2018 |title=Antelopes of the Dinder-Alatash transboundary Protected Area, Sudan and Ethiopia |journal=Gnusletter |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=26–30 |url=https://www.marwell.org.uk/media/other/GNUSLETTER_Vol_35_12018.pdf#page=26 |access-date=2018-12-03 |archive-date=2021-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129192754/https://www.marwell.org.uk/media/other/GNUSLETTER_Vol_35_12018.pdf#page=26 |url-status=dead }} It is also frequently spotted in Ethiopia's northern Degua Tembien massif.

African civets deposit their feces in large piles called latrines, or specifically "civetries".{{cite journal |author1=Bearder, S. K. |author2=Randall, R. M. |title=Use of fecal marking sites by Spotted Hyenas and Civets |journal=Carnivore |pages=32–48 |year=1978}} The latrines are characterized by fruits, seeds, exoskeletons of insect and millipede rings, and occasionally clumps of grass.{{Cite journal|last1=Mullu |first1=D. |last2=Balakrishnan |first2=M. |date=2014 |title=Ecology of African Civet (Civettictis civetta) in Arba Minch Forest, Arba Minch, Ethiopia |journal=Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=99–102 |url=https://www.ajol.info/index.php/star/article/view/109826|doi=10.4314/star.v3i3.16 |doi-access=free }} The role of civet latrines as a mechanism of seed dispersal and forest regeneration is still being researched.{{Cite journal |last1=Abiyu |first1=A. |last2=Teketay |first2=D. |last3=Glatzel |first3=G. |last4=Gratzer |first4=G. |date=2015 |title=Tree seed dispersal by African civets in the Afromontane Highlands: too long a latrine to be effective for tree population dynamics |journal=African Journal of Ecology |volume=53 |issue=4 |pages=588–591 |doi=10.1111/aje.12198|bibcode=2015AfJEc..53..588A }}{{cite book |author=Engel, T. R. |year=2000 |title=Seed dispersal and forest regeneration in a tropical lowland biocoenosis (Shimba Hills, Kenya |publisher=Logos Verlag }} Like felids, male African civets scent mark by spraying urine backwards.{{Cite book |last=Ewer |first=R. F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IETMd3-lSlkC&q=Civettictis&pg=PA239 |title=The Carnivores |date=1998 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-8493-3 |language=en}}

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.{{Cite journal|last1=Mullu|first1=D.|last2=Balakrishnan|first2=M.|date=2014-11-17|title=Ecology of African Civet (Civettictis civetta) in Arba Minch Forest, Arba Minch, Ethiopia|url=https://www.ajol.info/index.php/star/article/view/109826|journal=Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal|language=en|volume=3|issue=3|pages=99–102|doi=10.4314/star.v3i3.16|issn=2305-3372|doi-access=free}}

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 a predatory defense.Enos, Zach H. "African Civet." PJC Instructional Technology. 2001. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. <http://itech.pjc.edu/sctag/civet/african_civet%20page.htm> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709043459/http://itech.pjc.edu/sctag/civet/african_civet%20page.htm |date=July 9, 2008 }}

Research in southeastern Nigeria revealed that the African civet has an omnivorous diet. It feeds on rodents like giant pouched rats (Cricetomys), Temminck's mouse (Mus musculoides), Tullberg's soft-furred mouse (Praomys tulbergi), greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus), and typical striped grass mouse (Lemniscomys striatus), amphibians and small reptiles like Hallowell's toad (Amietophrynus maculatus), herald snake (Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia), black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis), common agama (Agama agama), and Mabuya skinks, birds, millipedes, and insects such as Orthoptera, Coleoptera, and Blattodea, as well as carrion, eggs, fruits (such as Strychnos), berries and seeds.{{cite journal |author1=Angelici, F. M. |year=2000 |title=Food habits and resource partitioning of carnivores (Herpestidae, Viverridae) in the rainforests of southeastern Nigeria: preliminary results |journal=Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et la Vie) |volume=55 |pages=67–76 |doi=10.3406/revec.2000.2314 |s2cid=55589137 |url=http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/55398/RevuedEcologie_2000_55_1_67.pdf?sequence=1 |access-date=2018-11-24 |archive-date=2017-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817165645/http://documents.irevues.inist.fr/bitstream/handle/2042/55398/RevuedEcologie_2000_55_1_67.pdf?sequence=1 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Civettictis_civetta/ | title=Civettictis civetta (African civet) | website=Animal Diversity Web }}

African civets can take prey as large as hares but can be somewhat clumsy killers with sizable prey. Stomach content of three African civets in Botswana included foremost husks of fan palm (Hyphaene petersiana) and jackalberry (Diospyros mespiliformis), and some remains of African red toad (Schismaderma carens), Acrididae grasshoppers and larvae of Dytiscidae beetles.{{cite book |last=Smithers |first=R. H. N. |year=1971 |title=The Mammals of Botswana |publisher=University of Pretoria |location=Pretoria |chapter=Viverra civetta |pages=162−163}}

Green grass is also frequently found in feces, and this seems to be linked to the eating of snakes and amphibians.{{cite book |title=The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion |publisher=University of Pretoria |author1=Skinner, J. D. |author2=Smithers, R. H. N. |year=1990 |pages=470–471 |isbn=978-0869798027}}

Captive females are polyestrous.{{cite journal |last1=Mallinson |first1=J. J. |year=1969 |title=Notes on breeding the African civet Viverra civetta at Jersey Zoo |journal=International Zoo Yearbook |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=92−93 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1969.tb02635.x}} Mating lasts 40 to 70 seconds.

In Southern Africa, African civets probably mate from October to November, and females give birth in the rainy season between January and February.

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 most carnivores.{{clarify|The civet is an omnivore. This claim needs to be adjusted to reflect that.|date=May 2020}} 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.Shalu, Tuteja. "Civettictis Civetta African Civet." Animal Diversity Web, 2000. Web. 2010. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Civettictis_civetta.html>.

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 the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests.{{cite journal |author1=Fa, J. E. |author2=Seymour, S. |author3=Dupain, J. E. F. |author4=Amin, R. |author5=Albrechtsen, L. |author6=Macdonald, D. |year=2006 |title=Getting to grips with the magnitude of exploitation: bushmeat in the Cross–Sanaga rivers region, Nigeria and Cameroon |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=129 |issue=4 |pages=497–510 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223445717|doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2005.11.031 |bibcode=2006BCons.129..497F }}

Skins and skulls of African civets were found in 2007 at the Dantokpa 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 as bushmeat.{{cite journal |author1=Djagoun, C. A. M. S. |author2=Gaubert, P. |year=2009 |title=Small carnivorans from southern Benin: a preliminary assessment of diversity and hunting pressure |journal=Small Carnivore Conservation |issue=40 |pages=1–10 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228762921}}

The African civet has historically been hunted for the secretion of perineal glands. This secretion is a white or yellow waxy substance called civetone, which has been used as a basic ingredient for many perfumes for hundreds of years. 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.{{cite journal |author1=Daniel, W. O. |author2=Bekele, A. F. |author3=Balakrishnan, M. |author4=Belay, G. U. |year=2011 |title=Collection of African Civet Civettictis civetta perineal gland secretion from naturally scent-marked sites |journal=Small Carnivore Conservation |volume=44 |pages=14–18 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265194851}} The writer Daniel Defoe once invested in a scheme to raise civets in captivity for their secretions.{{Cite web|url=https://daily.jstor.org/the-strange-case-of-daniel-defoes-civet-scheme/|title=The Strange Case of Daniel Defoe's Civet Scheme|first=Matthew|last=Wills|date=4 September 2019|website=JSTOR Daily}}

The population of African civet in Botswana is listed under Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).{{cite web|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|title=Appendices I, II and III|publisher=Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora|access-date=22 May 2023|date=21 May 2023}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Carnivora|V.}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q241256}}

Category:Carnivorans of Africa

Category:Viverrids

Category:Mammals described in 1776

Category:Mammals of Uganda

Category:Taxa named by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber