Indian civet cat
| Indian civet cat | ||||||||||||
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Indian civet cat ( Viverra zibetha ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Viverra zibetha | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Indian civet , also India civet , large Indian civet , Asian civet or Zibete ( Viverra zibetha ) is a predatory species from the family of civets (Viverridae).
description
It becomes 75 to 85 centimeters long with a tail length of 38 to 49.5 centimeters and a shoulder height of 38 centimeters. The weight is around 8 to 9 kg. The animals belong to the larger civet cats. The back fur is gray to brown with dark spots that sometimes form stripes. A low mane runs along the back to the base of the tail, the hair of which can be straightened. The hairs are longer in the northern populations than in those in the south (90 mm in China, 70 mm in Nepal and 50 mm on the Malay Peninsula). The throat and sides of the neck are strikingly black and white in color. The head is gray with white spots on the sides of the muzzle. The tail is white with five or six black ringlets. The front feet are dark brown, the hind feet are medium brown. The claws can be withdrawn. The skull is relatively long and low. Compared to other civets, the teeth of the Indian civet are stronger, with larger incisors, longer and thicker canines but a smaller upper premolar .
The bit has the following dental formula : .
distribution
The Indian civet lives in large parts of Southeast Asia from eastern Nepal to the extreme southwest of China (west of Sichuan and Yunnan ). In large parts of the original range in China, which used to extend to just north of the Yangtze , the animals are probably extinct. The southernmost part of its range is on the Malay Peninsula . There it occurs together with the small Indian civet cat ( Viverricula indica ), by which it is otherwise represented in Indonesia.
Subspecies
There are six subspecies:
- V. z. zibetha , Southwest China, Nepal , Bhutan , Bangladesh , Northeast India
- V. z. expectata , China
- V. z. hainana , hainan
- V. z. pruinosus , Myanmar
- V. z. sigillata , Thailand , Malay Peninsula
- V. z. Surdaster , Vietnam , Laos , Cambodia , imported to the Andaman Islands
Way of life
Indian civets live in evergreen and deciduous tropical forests and on plantations near the forest up to heights of 1600 meters. Indian civets are solitary, nocturnal and predominantly terrestrial (ground dwelling), but can also climb. The main activity time of the animals is in the evening hours and early at night between 7.30pm and 10.30pm. During the day it hides in tall grass or thick undergrowth. Indian civets are omnivorous and feed on fruits and roots, small mammals, birds, eggs, reptiles, frogs, insects, crabs, and fish. Apparently, the crawling cats reproduce all year round. A female gets one to four young animals per litter. These are black at birth with white spots on the lips, ears, throat and tail. They open their eyes after about ten days and they are suckled for about a month. The females can have young two times a year.
The Indian civet cat is out of because of Zibetkatzenfells mainly because of Zibets hunted, a secretion from the Perianaldrüsen , which is used for perfumery.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Andrew P. Jennings and Geraldine Veron: Family Viverridae (Civets, genets and oyans). in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 1 Carnivores. Lynx Editions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 , p. 212.
- ↑ Viverra zibetha in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Retrieved on March 14 of 2009.