Large Indian Civet
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Viverridae
Subfamily:	Viverrinae
Genus:	Viverra
Species:	V. zibetha
Binomial name
Viverra zibetha Linnaeus, 1758
Large Indian civet range

The large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha) is a member of the Viverrid family native to Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the species as Near Threatened, mainly because of trapping-driven declines in heavily hunted and fragmented areas, and the heavy trade as wild meat.^[1]

Characteristics[link]

Large Indian civets are generally grizzled greyish brown, with white and black bars along their neck, usually two white stripes and three black stripes on the tail, and a white muzzle. The hair on their back is longer. Their claws are retractable. They have hair in between their paw pads. This a large vivverid, measuring behind only the binturong and the African civet in size. The head-and-body length can range from 50 to 95 cm (20 to 37 in), the tail measuring 38 to 59 cm (15 to 23 in) and the hindfoot measuring 9 to 14.5 cm (3.5 to 5.7 in) long. Weight ranges from 3.4 to 9.2 kg (7.5 to 20 lb).^[2][3]

Distribution and habitat[link]

The large Indian civet ranges from Nepal, northeast India, Bhutan to Myanmar, Thailand, the Malay peninsula and Singapore to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and China.^[1]

Subspecies[link]

Viverra zibetha from Hodgson's drawings

Skull

Five subspecies are recognized:^[4]

• V. z. zibetha (Linnaeus, 1758) is found in Nepal, Bhutan, upper Bengal;
• V. z. ashtoni (Swinhoe, 1864)
• V. z. picta (Wroughton, 1915) is found east of Assam
• V. z. pruinosus (Wroughton, 1917)
• V. z. hainana (Wang and Xu, 1983)

Six subspecies have been proposed but a taxonomic revision is needed. The validity of the new species Viverra tainguensis described in 1997 by Sokolov, Rozhnov and Pham Chong from Tainguen Plateau in Gialai Province in Vietnam has been seriously questioned, and it is now generally considered a synonym of V. zibetha.^[1] Today research DNA confirm that be comprises the schedule of genes Viverra zibetha picta subspecies.

Ecology and behaviour[link]

Diet[link]

Large Indian civets are mostly carnivorous. They eat birds, frogs, snakes, small mammals, eggs, crabs, and fish, but also fruit and roots.

Social behavior[link]

Large Indian civets are solitary and nocturnal. They spend most of their time on the ground, though they are agile climbers. During the day, they sleep in burrows in the ground that have been dug by other animals and abandoned. They are territorial and mark their territories with excretions from their anal glands. Their territory can range from 1.7 to 5.4 km² (0.66 to 2.1 sq mi).

Reproduction[link]

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 in dense vegetation. They open their eyes at 10 days and are weaned at one month of age.

Conservation[link]

Viverra zibetha is totally protected in Malaysia under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and listed on Category II of the China Wildlife Protection Law. China listed it as ‘Endangered’ under criteria A2acd, and it is a class II protected State species (due to trapping for food and scent glands). It is protected in Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. It is found in several protected areas throughout its range. The population of India is listed on CITES Appendix III.^[1]

In Hong Kong, it is a protected species under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170.

Local names[link]

In Assamese it is called Gendera.

In Bengali it is called Bham or Bham Biral and Gandho Gokul or Khatas. Biral= cat, Gandho= smell or scent. Gokul= the place of Lord Krishna (Govinda) . In Bengal there is a delicate variety of sweet and pleasant smelling rice known as Govindabhog rice (the rice which is offered to Lord Govinda). The secretion from prene gland of civet cat smells like that variety of rice, so it is often called as "Gandho Gokul".

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikispecies has information related to: Viverra zibetha