Wild Fauna on Koh Lanta -Indian Civet ÁØÊѧ - ªÐÁ´
Koh Lanta can boast a massive number of rare species of Animals - The author shall be attempting to document and present all known species of bird, animals and ocean creatures, as well as documenting the plant kingdom.
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Large Indian civet - VIVERRA ZIBETHA ÁØÊѧ - ªÐÁ´
First described by: Linnaeus, 1758
- Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
- Subclass: True Mammals (Eutheria)
- Order: Meat-eating Mammals (Carnivora)
- Family: Viverridae.
The Name "Civet": "Civet" comes from the Arabic word "zabad."
- Location: Southeast Asia.
- Habitat: Terrestrial. Tropical and subtropical forests.
- Description: The large Indian civet is yellow-gray with dark brown to black markings arranged in incomplete stripes. The facial mask, throat, legs, and end of tail are also dark. The perianal glands produce the substance called civet, which has a strong odor. The claws are semiretractile. The length of the head and body is about 30 inches, with a tall of about 18 inches. They weigh about 50 pounds.
- Behavior: Nocturnal and solitary by nature, this is one of the most fearsome of small predators, as it can easily kill prey larger than itself. The hunting technique consists of repeatedly biting the prey in the hindquarters while it is running, then shaking it until dead. This species is easy to domesticate and is sometimes penned so the civet substance can be gathered more conveniently.
- Diet:
The Indian civet is mostly carnivorous. They will eat birds, frogs, snakes, small mammals, eggs, crabs, and fish. They will also eat fruit and roots.
- Reproduction: Civets are on the endangered species list and their behaviour is still relatively unproved.Two contradictory sources of info have been found on this topic - listed below
1.Young are usually born in May or June, and each litter has three or four young.
2.
Females breed at any time of the year, and generally have two litters a year. A litter usually consists of four young. They are born in a hole in the ground or dense vegetation. They open their eyes at 10 days and are weaned at one month old.
- Subspecies: There are two subspecies: V. zibetha zibetha, found in Nepal, Bhutan, upper Bengal; and V. zibetha picta, found east of Assam.
- Note: In the islands of southeast Asia this civet is replaced by a similar species known as the Malay civet.
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