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{{Distinguish|African palm civet}}
{{speciesbox
| name= African
| image= Civettictis civetta 11.jpg
| range_map = African Civet area.png
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| status= LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Civettictis civetta'' |author=Do Linh San, E. |author2=Gaubert, P. |author3=Wondmagegne, D. |author4=Ray, J. |date=2019 |amends=2015 |page=e.T41695A147992107 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T41695A147992107.en |access-date=
| genus= Civettictis
| parent_authority =
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|''V. poortmanni'' <small>[[Jacques Pucheran|Pucheran]], 1855</small>
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Wozencraft |id=14000378 |page=554 |heading=''Civettictis civetta''}}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision=
''C. c. civetta'' <small>(Schreber, 1776)</small><br />
''C. c. congica'' <small>[[Ángel Cabrera (naturalist)|Cabrera]], 1929</small><br />
''C. c. schwarzi'' <small>Cabrera, 1929</small><br />
''C. c. australis'' <small>Lundholm, 1955</small><br />
''C. c. volkmanni'' <small>Lundholm, 1955</small><br />
''C. c. pauli'' <small>Kock, Künzel and Rayaleh, 2000</small>
}}
The '''African civet''' (
The African civet is primarily [[nocturnal]] and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset. It is a [[wikt:solitary|solitary]] [[mammal]] with a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarse [[pelage]] and rings on the tail are an effective [[Crypsis|cryptic]] pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of the [[raccoon]]. Other distinguishing features are its disproportionately large hindquarters and its erectile dorsal crest. It is an [[omnivorous]] generalist, preying on small vertebrates, [[invertebrate]]s, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores capable of eating toxic invertebrates such as termites and millipedes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Richardson |first1=P. R. K. |last2=Levitan |first2=C. D. |date=1994 |title=Tolerance of Aardwolves to Defense Secretions of ''Trinervitermes trinervoides'' |url=https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/75/1/84/860853 |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=75 |issue=1 |pages=84–91 |doi=10.2307/1382238|jstor=1382238 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals |edition=Second |last=Kingdon |first=J. |date=2015 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London, New Delhi, New York, Sydney |isbn=978-1-4729-2531-2 |chapter=African Civet ''Civettictis civetta'' |pages=409–410 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p1hMCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA409}}</ref> It detects prey primarily by smell and sound rather than by sight. It is the
==Taxonomy and evolution==
''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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> Schreber is therefore considered the [[Binomial nomenclature#Authority|binomial authority]].<ref name=msw3/>
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 (biology)|genus]], with ''C. civetta'' as only species.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
The following [[subspecies]] were proposed in the 20th century:
*''C. c. congica'' described by [[Ángel Cabrera (naturalist)|Ángel Cabrera]] in 1929 was a [[zoological specimen]] from the upper [[Congo River]].<ref name=Cabrera>{{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 }}</ref>
*''C. c. schwarzi'' was proposed by Cabrera in 1929 for African civet specimens from East Africa.<ref name=Cabrera/>
*''C. c. australis'' described by [[wikispecies:Bengt G. Lundholm|Bengt G. Lundholm]] in 1955 was based on a male [[type specimen]] and three [[paratype]] specimens collected near the [[Olifants River (Limpopo)|Olifants River]] in northeastern [[Transvaal (province)|Transvaal]] province.<ref name=Lundholm>{{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 }}</ref>
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===Evolution===
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 (unit)|Mya]]; the African civet split from ''Viverra'' 12.3 Mya. The authors suggested that the [[subfamily]] Viverrinae should be bifurcated into Genettinae (''[[Poiana (genus)|Poiana]]'' and ''[[Genetta]]'') and Viverrinae (''Civettictis'', ''Viverra,'' and ''[[Viverricula]]''). The following cladogram is based on this study.<ref name="Gaubert2006">{{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}}</ref>
{{clade| style=font-size:90%; line-height:100%
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===Local and indigenous names===
*In [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]]: {{lang|ti|ዝባድ}} (''zibad'')<ref name= "Aerts2019">{{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 }}</ref>
*In [[Akan language|Akan]]: {{lang|ak|kankane}}
*In [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]: {{lang|yo|Ẹtà}}, {{lang|yo|àgútà}}
*In [[Igbo language|Igbo]]: {{lang|ig|Edi}}<ref>{{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}}</ref>
==Characteristics==
{{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 [[Dorsum (anatomy)|dorsal]] crest. The hairs of the erectile crest are longer than those of the rest of the pelage.<ref name=Ray/>▼
▲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 [[Dorsum (anatomy)|dorsal]] crest. The hairs of the erectile crest are longer than those of the rest of the pelage.<ref name=Ray/>
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 (anatomy)|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 {{convert|67|-|84|cm|in|abbr=on}}, with a {{convert|34|-|47|cm|in|abbr=on}} long tail and a weight range from {{convert|7|to|20|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Females are smaller than males.<ref name=Ray />▼
▲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 (anatomy)|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 {{
It is the largest [[Viverridae|viverrid]] in Africa.<ref name="Estes">{{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}}</ref> Only the [[binturong]] is likely heavier among the world's viverrids.<ref>Hunter, L. (2019). ''Carnivores of the world (Vol. 117)''. Princeton University Press.</ref> Its shoulder height averages {{cvt|40|cm}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shorrocks |first1=B. |last2=Bates |first2=W. |year=2015 |title=The biology of African savannahs |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=USA}}</ref> Both male and female have perineal and anal glands, which are bigger in males.<ref name=Ray /> The perineal glands are located between the [[scrotum]] and the penis in males, and between the anus and the [[vulva]] in females.<ref name=Ewer1974>{{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}}</ref>
== Distribution and habitat ==
[[File:African civet.jpg|right|thumb|Head of African civet]]
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.<ref
In [[Gabon]]
In [[Batéké Plateau National Park]], it was recorded in [[gallery forest]] along the [[Mpassa River]] during surveys conducted between June 2014 and May 2015.<ref>{{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
In the [[Republic of Congo]], it was recorded in the [[Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic]] of [[Odzala-Kokoua National Park]] during surveys in 2007.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
In the transboundary [[Dinder National Park|Dinder]]–[[Alatash National Park|Alatash]] ([[Sudan]] and [[Ethiopia]]) protected area complex it was recorded during surveys between 2015 and 2018.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> It is also frequently spotted in [[Ethiopia]]'s northern [[Degua Tembien]] massif.<ref name= "Aerts2019"/>
==Behaviour and ecology==
African civets deposit their [[feces]] in large piles called [[Latrine (animal)|latrines]], or specifically "civetries".<ref name=Ewer1974 /><ref>{{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}}</ref> The latrines are characterized by fruits, seeds, [[exoskeleton]]s of insect and millipede rings, and occasionally clumps of grass.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> The role of civet latrines as a mechanism of seed dispersal and forest regeneration is still being researched.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> Like [[Felid|felids]], male African civets [[scent mark]] by spraying [[urine]] backwards.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite journal|
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 [[Antipredator adaptation|predatory defense]].<ref name="Enos">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 }}</ref>
=== Feeding ===
Research in southeastern Nigeria revealed that the African civet has an [[omnivorous]] diet. It feeds on [[rodents]] like [[giant pouched rat]]s (''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''), [[amphibian]]s and small [[reptile]]s like [[Hallowell's toad]] (''Amietophrynus maculatus''), herald snake (''[[Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia]]''), [[black-necked spitting cobra]] (''Naja nigricollis''), [[common agama]] (''Agama agama''), and ''[[Mabuya]]'' skinks,
African civets can take prey as large as [[hare]]s but can be somewhat clumsy killers with sizable prey.<ref name= Ray /> 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.<ref name=Smithers1971>{{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}}</ref>
Green grass is also frequently found in feces, and this seems to be linked to the eating of snakes and amphibians.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
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==Threats==
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]].<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
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]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>
The African civet has historically been hunted for the secretion of perineal [[Scent gland|gland]]s. This secretion is a white or yellow waxy substance called [[Civet (perfumery)|civetone]], which has been used as a basic ingredient for many [[perfumes]] for hundreds of years.<ref name=Ray/> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> The writer [[Daniel Defoe]] once invested in a scheme to raise civets in captivity for their secretions.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
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).<ref>{{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}}</ref>
==References==
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[[Category:Mammals described in 1776]]
[[Category:Mammals of Uganda]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber]]
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