The beauty and originality of the Himalayas and the Grand Canyon, the grandeur of the Niagara Falls and the Mariana Trench... After the creation of all these wonders, nature does not stop there. There are a large number of animals on the planet with amazing appearance and sometimes alarming habits.
Where do unusual animals live? It is not difficult to answer this question - everywhere. Their habitat is not only on the earth's surface, but also under water, in deserts and in the tropics. One of these unusual animals is civet. What is this animal?
This predatory animal is gray with brown spots, with a narrow head and wide ears. The size of a civet is no larger than an average dog, its length is 55 cm, and its weight is about 2 kg. The tail of the animal is long and has a large number of brown rings on it. The civet belongs to the family of mammals of cats, in appearance it resembles them, only the coat of the civet is much coarser than that of cats.
Features and habitat
You can meet this unique beast in the Himalayas, in the countries of South Asia and on. It is impossible to meet a civet on our continent, except in a zoo, and then very rarely. What is the peculiarity of these wild cats? They take part in the production of an elite coffee variety called Kopi Luwak.
Each person has his own attitude to it, but it is this coffee that is considered the most expensive. The technology of its preparation may confuse some people. The civet feeds on the highest quality coffee fruits. Her body does not overdo the coffee beans.
They leave the animal in the same unchanged form. After collecting these grains, they are well washed, dried and sold. The whole interest of this process is that, due to the unusualness of the gastric juice of the civet, ordinary coffee beans, having passed through the gastrointestinal tract of the beast, acquire an incredible taste.
Therefore, civet is often bred recently on an industrial scale specifically for the production of this elite coffee. This business is especially popular in Vietnam. But many coffee connoisseurs notice that the coffee that came to the counter from the industrial settlements of civet is comparatively different from the drink that is harvested by farmers in the wild.
All this is because in captivity the animal cannot independently choose really high-quality coffee fruits, he has to eat what they give. african civet its appearance resembles a cat, there is a similarity with, as well as with.
Prefers African forests with tall grass and thickets that help the animal hide from view during the daytime.
The main rule for a civet is that there must be a pond nearby. Dry areas do not appeal to them. Due to many features, the African civet can be distinguished from the rest of the inhabitants of the savannah. The body of the animal is elongated with low legs.
Its muzzle is pointed, has a black color in the form of a mask. At the slightest fright or excitement along her back, the hair rises on end. This is a sign that the civet is worried. It is a nocturnal inhabitant of the savannah. The peak of its activity falls on the evening or early morning.
During the day, the animal hides in different places, the grass helps in this. Only females with babies have a permanent home. Animals prefer solitude. In the breeding season they have from 1 to 4 babies.
Character and lifestyle
This is a pretty smart animal that is not afraid of people. There have been many cases where animal tamed by people civet lived at home like cats. Observers say that in their habits and independent disposition they are superior to cats. They prefer to live at a height, they often climb onto the mezzanine. They can easily open the refrigerator and steal food from there, hide some of it.
Interesting! Civet are intolerant of tobacco smoke and can jump up and yank a smoking cigarette out of a smoker's hand. This picture looks pretty funny and funny.
The civet looks like a cat and a raccoon at the same time
The need of a civet is relieved from a height, you need to be careful not to accidentally fall under the fetid stream of the animal's urine. In the wild, she sleeps during the day and stays awake at night.
palm civet most often tamed by humans. She is friendly and can be easily tamed. After adaptation in the human home, the animal copes well with mice and harmful insects. This is exactly the civet that is involved in the production of coffee.
Civet nutrition
These predatory animals prefer animal food. Beetles, caterpillars, bats, birds and bird eggs, various carrion - these are the main and favorite food of civets. They have great courage and can climb into the chicken coop without fear. But, of course, coffee fruits have always been and will remain the favorite food of civets.
Civets select only the best and freshest coffee beans for food.
Reproduction and lifespan
In different territories, the breeding season of civets begins at different times. Kenya and Tanzania - March - October. South - August - January. The weather should be warm and food should also be enough. The female is fertilized 2-3 times a year. One to four civet cubs are born.
The female does not particularly bother about the dwelling, she uses old abandoned animal minks or natural structures made of tree roots. Civet babies immediately after birth are different from babies of other animals. They are covered with wool, they immediately know how to crawl, and on the fifth day they stand on their paws.
And after 20 days, they already boldly come out of hiding. At 6 weeks, the female mother is already feeding the babies with solid food, and at 2 months they are able to get it for themselves. The life expectancy of this amazing animal is up to 16 years. Civet in the photo enthuses all people. It seems that there is nothing unusual in this beast, but it is pleasant and interesting to look at it.
small civet lives in the Himalayas and. Valued for the civet it produces. The indigenous people of those countries process their homes with civet. For Europeans, this smell is unacceptable. Lesser civet learned to breed in captivity. They feed her with rice, bananas and poultry, and in return they receive fragrant civet, which is used in perfumery.
There are many outlandish animals in the world that surprise with their appearance, habits or abilities. For example, a cheetah can reach speeds of up to 130 km per hour and overtake a car, and a chameleon can easily disguise itself as any environment by changing the color of its body. One such interesting animal is the African civet. This animal is listed in the Red Book and is under careful protection. Information about it is presented in the article.
Appearance
There are several types of civets, namely six. African - the largest in size of the entire Viverov family. Outwardly, the African civet, the photo of which is presented in the article, is very reminiscent of partly a marten, and partly a cat. Because of this similarity, this animal is called in its homeland
His head is wide, oblong with a sharp muzzle. The ears are short, but pointed at the top. The body length in adults can reach 70 cm, including the tail, which is approximately 35 cm long. The tail of the African civet is very strong and strong. At the base it is wide and gradually narrows towards the tip.
The legs of the animal are not very long and thin, such limbs help him while jumping. These animals are quite strong and fast. On each paw they have five fingers with not very sharp non-retractable claws. Interestingly, the lower part of the paws (where ordinary cats have pads) in a weaver cat is completely covered with hair.
The African civet cannot boast of fur: it is loose, sparse and coarse throughout the body. These mammals are shorthaired. Their feature is the mane. It is located in the middle of the body and stretches parallel to the chord, starting at the beginning of the neck and ending at the tip of the tail. This feature helps the African civet during dangerous situations. When the animal is frightened, he fluffs up his mane, puts it upright and rears up, trying to seem bigger than he really is. The mane can reach a length of up to 10 cm.
The mouth of the African civet is quite strong, its teeth are wide and strong, capable of biting through very hard materials. In total, animals have forty teeth.
The color of the animals is very unusual. There are many black, dark brown spots and stripes on the back of the skin. This color of the back of the body is very similar to the coloring of the hyena. But the muzzle and neck of the animal are very similar in color to a raccoon. On a light muzzle, a black mask is put on around the eyes and nose. The overall color is also different. It can be white, red, light brown, gray, etc. In general, the African civet is quite pretty and extraordinary.
One individual can weigh from 7 to 20 kg.
Lifestyle
This is a land animal. African civet is mainly nocturnal. Prefers coolness, often hunts in the rain. The favorite time of day is the hours from sunset to midnight. Basically, these animals are very aloof and secretive, it is quite difficult to see them. Usually they are carefully hidden in tall grasses. Individuals lead a solitary life, with the exception of the breeding season. These animals are good swimmers.
African civets are omnivores. They mainly feed on insects and small animals, may prey on small birds, but also eat plants, carrion, eggs and larvae of insects or other animals. Civets live in nests. Such "houses" they equip in small caves, empty pillars of trees, in the burrows of larger animals, such as anteaters.
Hunting
African civet in nature hunts mainly at night. These animals look out for prey for a long time and follow it, hiding in tall grass. Picking up the best moment, civets attack the victim, grabbing it with their teeth. They tightly squeeze their mouths, preventing the prey from escaping, and begin to shake their heads vigorously. Due to the shaking, the spine of the caught victim breaks, which leads to her death.
reproduction
The breeding season of civets depends on the habitat. For example, they can breed all year round, in Kenya and Tanzania mating takes place from March to October, and in South Africa from August to January. The female's pregnancy lasts two to three months. In a year, a female can bring up to three litters, each with 1 to 4 puppies.
Before giving birth, she equips herself with a new lair, in which she gives birth. Puppies are born quite developed, for example, they can crawl immediately after birth. On the fifth day, the babies are already walking, on the 18th day they leave the nest, and they begin to hunt at the age of two months. The female feeds the babies with milk for six weeks, after the cubs begin to eat more solid food on their own. Civets become capable of reproduction one year after birth. While in captivity, African civets very often kill and eat their babies.
Habitat
African civets are mostly distributed in Africa. They live in areas just south of the Sahara. These animals are not found on the Somali Peninsula and in the southernmost part of Africa.
The African civet is a mammal from the civet family of the predatory order. The only species in the genus Civettictis, it was previously assigned to the genus Viverra civet.
Appearance of an African civet
The African civet is about the size of a dog, but looks more like a cat. She has a broad head with a pointed muzzle, short, pointed ears, slightly slanted eyes and round pupils. The body of the African civet is long and thick. The tail is of medium length and its length is approximately half the length of the body. Legs of medium length. Her fur is coarse and rather sparse. The mane runs down the middle of the body and ends at the tail. Its main color is ash-yellowish-gray, on which dark brown spots often appear. In different individuals, they are located in different places. The tail of the African civet has the thickest fur. She has about 5 black rings on her tail, and it ends with a dark brown tip.
Usually the body length of the African civet does not exceed 65 cm. The length of the tail is about 30 cm. The height at the withers is 25-30 cm.
In captivity, African civets are kept only in cages, fed meat and especially birds. If a civet is caught young, it will soon become tame.
Habitat and lifestyle of the African civet
These animals live in Africa south of the Sahara, with the exception of southern Africa and the Somali Peninsula, in open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and in the eastern regions of South Africa.
This animal is predominantly nocturnal, showing the greatest activity at dusk and dawn. The African civet spends the day in thick grass; only females with cubs have a permanent den. Individuals spend most of their time alone, in their territory.
The dimensions of the animal can visually increase quite strongly when the civet raises its fur when excited.
African civet nutrition
The African civet is omnivorous. It eats wild fruits, carrion, rodents, insects (crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and termites), eggs, reptiles, and birds. Also, African civet can eat something that is poisonous to other animals. In particular, it feeds on plants of the genus Stychnos, which are poisonous because they contain strychnine. Her diet also includes centipedes and heavily decomposed carrion, which is literally teeming with bacteria. The civet does not use its paws to catch prey, using only its teeth for this.
Reproduction of the African civet
The breeding season for African civets occurs at different times in different parts of the range. In Kenya and Tanzania, this period lasts from March to October, and in southern Africa from August to January, when the weather is warm and there is an abundance of food. The female can have 2-3 litters per year, the number of cubs in which varies from 1 to 4. As a den, the female uses abandoned burrows of other animals or natural shelters in tree roots.
Small civets are born quite developed, compared to the cubs of other carnivores - they are completely covered with soft hair, they can crawl, and already on the 5th day they begin to stand up. After 2.5 weeks, they begin to leave the den, after 6 weeks, the mother begins to feed them with solid food, and by 2 months of age, the young can get their own food.
Population status and conservation of the African civet
Listed on Appendix III of CITES in Botswana.
African civets are hunted for anal secretion, which is a valuable raw material for the perfume industry. Moreover, this industry has been known since the time of King Solomon. Animal hunters often do not kill civets, but capture them for captivity. From such animals, valuable musk is collected several times a week for export to America and European countries. However, African civets are not often seen in zoos. In Russia, the only animal lives in the Rostov Zoo. This is a female who settled here in 1998 (then she was about two years old). Unfortunately, no male was ever found to match her. This is not surprising, because the closest civet (her sister) until recently lived alone in the Nikolaev Zoo. According to ISIS in Europe there are a couple of animals in the Czech Republic (zoo in Olomouc).
African civet (Civettictis civetta)- a mammal from the viverrid family of the predatory order. Inhabits the savannas and forests of southern and central Africa. The African civet is rarely found in dry areas, but occasionally lives along river systems. This predator lives both in the woods and in the open, but it also needs patches of tall grass or thickets to ensure safety during the daytime. The African civet is rare in dry areas of Africa, usually found near permanent water systems.
This species is easily distinguished by its squat front legs and large hind legs that hold the croup high and the head low. The African civet has a broad head with a pointed snout, small eyes and small, rounded ears. The coat of this civet can range from white to pale yellow to rusty brown. It is interesting to note that you will never meet two identical individuals, as each representative has a unique coat pattern. Their appearance is directly dependent on the habitat, it should provide excellent camouflage.
When threatened, the African civet lets out a surprisingly deep and menacing growl, its coat and long black hair crest along the spine rising, giving the animal a more massive appearance. It is assumed that this position also functions to impress other civets. The hair on the crest can be up to 12 cm long. The body length of this species is from 67 to 84 cm, the tail is 34-47 cm. The mass of the predator is from 9.5 to 20 kg.
The average lifespan in African civets is 15 to 20 years. The breeding season in Kenya and Tanzania occurs from March to October. In southern Africa, from August to January, when there are a large number of insects. Females may have two or three broods per year, typically with 1 to 4 cubs in a litter.
Young civets are born advanced in relation to most predators. They are completely hairy, although their fur is darker, shorter, and softer than that of adults. Their markings are less pronounced. They begin to leave the shelter after 17-18 days, and the first sign of play behavior is visible after about 2 weeks. The babies are completely dependent on their mother's milk for about 6 weeks. After about 42 days, their mother begins to give them solid food. By the second month, they are on their own looking for prey for themselves.
It is predominantly nocturnal, very secretive, lifestyle, but sometimes occurs in the morning or afternoon on cloudy days. Peak activity occurs 1-2 hours before sunset. During the day it sleeps in dense grass, and only females with offspring have nests. They are located in holes made by other animals or under tangled roots.
These animals are known for their secretions from the perianal gland, which are traditionally used as an ingredient in the manufacture of perfumes. They use their selections to mark regular territories.
Being an omnivore, the African civet mainly consumes wild fruits, carrion, rodents, insects (crickets, grasshoppers, beetles and termites), eggs, reptiles and birds. In southern Africa, they also feed on crabs and snails. Thanks to this varied diet, the African civet is a fairly flexible species that can inhabit a range of habitats over a wide area. At times, these predators cause trouble for local farmers by raiding chicken coops and sometimes even lambs.
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The African civet is a mammal from the civet family of the predatory order. The only species in the genus Civettictis, it was previously assigned to the genus Viverra civet.
Appearance of an African civet
The African civet is about the size of a dog, but looks more like a cat. She has a broad head with a pointed muzzle, short, pointed ears, slightly slanted eyes and round pupils. The body of the African civet is long and thick. The tail is of medium length and its length is approximately half the length of the body. Legs of medium length. Her fur is coarse and rather sparse. The mane runs down the middle of the body and ends at the tail. Its main color is ash-yellowish-gray, on which dark brown spots often appear. In different individuals, they are located in different places. The tail of the African civet has the thickest fur. She has about 5 black rings on her tail, and it ends with a dark brown tip.
Usually the body length of the African civet does not exceed 65 cm. The length of the tail is about 30 cm. The height at the withers is 25-30 cm.
In captivity, African civets are kept only in cages, fed meat and especially birds. If a civet is caught young, it will soon become tame.
Habitat and lifestyle of the African civet
These animals live in Africa south of the Sahara, with the exception of southern Africa and the Somali Peninsula, in open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and in the eastern regions of South Africa.
This animal is predominantly nocturnal, showing the greatest activity at dusk and dawn. The African civet spends the day in thick grass; only females with cubs have a permanent den. Individuals spend most of their time alone, in their territory.
The dimensions of the animal can visually increase quite strongly when the civet raises its fur when excited.
African civet nutrition
The African civet is omnivorous. It eats wild fruits, carrion, rodents, insects (crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and termites), eggs, reptiles, and birds. Also, African civet can eat something that is poisonous to other animals. In particular, it feeds on plants of the genus Stychnos, which are poisonous because they contain strychnine. Her diet also includes centipedes and heavily decomposed carrion, which is literally teeming with bacteria. The civet does not use its paws to catch prey, using only its teeth for this.
Reproduction of the African civet
The breeding season for African civets occurs at different times in different parts of the range. In Kenya and Tanzania, this period lasts from March to October, and in southern Africa from August to January, when the weather is warm and there is an abundance of food. The female can have 2-3 litters per year, the number of cubs in which varies from 1 to 4. As a den, the female uses abandoned burrows of other animals or natural shelters in tree roots.
Small civets are born quite developed, compared to the cubs of other carnivores - they are completely covered with soft hair, they can crawl, and already on the 5th day they begin to stand up. After 2.5 weeks, they begin to leave the den, after 6 weeks, the mother begins to feed them with solid food, and by 2 months of age, the young can get their own food.
Population status and conservation of the African civet
Listed on Appendix III of CITES in Botswana.
African civets are hunted for anal secretion, which is a valuable raw material for the perfume industry. Moreover, this industry has been known since the time of King Solomon. Animal hunters often do not kill civets, but capture them for captivity. From such animals, valuable musk is collected several times a week for export to America and European countries. However, African civets are not often seen in zoos. In Russia, the only animal lives in the Rostov Zoo. This is a female who settled here in 1998 (then she was about two years old). Unfortunately, no male was ever found to match her. This is not surprising, because the closest civet (her sister) until recently lived alone in the Nikolaev Zoo. According to ISIS in Europe there are a couple of animals in the Czech Republic (zoo in Olomouc).
