Masked Palm Civet

About this species

Size

Body 50–60cm; tail 40–50cm

Weight

3–5kg

Diet

Rats, birds, fruit such as figs, mangoes and bananas, leaves, molluscs, arthropods and bark

Habitat

Partly arboreal

Range

Northern Indian subcontinent, especially the Himalayas, east to China, Southeast Asia and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Litter size

Up to 4 young

The masked palm civet, or gem-faced civet, has grey to ochre fur, black on the head, shoulders and neck and blackish brown on the tail and feet, with no spots or stripes. A white blaze on the forehead and white marks above and below the eyes reach the ears, forming a half-collar. The lips, chin and throat are white and the tail is more than two-thirds the length of head and body. Adults are 50–60 cm long with a 40–50 cm tail and weigh 3–5 kg (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found from the northern Indian subcontinent, especially the Himalayas, eastward across Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Southeast Asia to China, and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is a nocturnal, solitary and partly arboreal omnivore, occasionally active by day, eating rats, birds and fruit such as figs, mangoes and bananas, as well as leaves, molluscs, bark and, less often, snakes and frogs. There are two breeding seasons a year and a female bears up to four young (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)