African civet
Viverra civetta
Key identification features
A carnivore the size of a medium sized dog. It has a white base colour with black or brown pattern of stripes and dots. Its tail is shorter than its body and has black rings and black tip. HB 80-95cm. Wt 9-20 kg.
Habitat and social behaviour
It occurs in bushy savannah, cultivated, marshy, forest or partly forested areas. It is mainly nocturnal and solitary. It is very common on the Tanzanian coast.
Similar species
The African civet is much larger then the different species of genet and the African palm civet, and has a shorter tail.
Distribution Map
Photo gallery
See also
African palm civet · Common genet · Large spotted genet (Blotched or Rusty-spotted) · Servaline genet · Miombo genet (Angolan genet)