Mammals of the WorldMalay Civet
Viverra tangalunga
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Viverridae
- Genus
- Viverra
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Malaysia|Indonesia|Singapore|Brunei?|Philippines
- Realm
- Indomalaya|Australasia
Other names: Malayan Civet|Oriental Civet
About this species
Viverra tangalunga was the scientific name proposed by John Edward Gray in 1832 for a spotted zoological specimen. The Malay civet's tail is black above and ringed on the lower side. It was introduced to Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands. In 2012, an individual was photographed in Singapore. It possibly later dispersed to the rest of Philippines through human introduction, because land connection between Philippines islands did not exist during last glacial period. (Wikipedia, general species account).
The historical range of the Malay civet includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Singapore. In Malaysia, it occurs in Borneo, Banggi Island, Langkawi Island, Penang Island and in Peninsular Malaysia. Museum records indicate that the Malay civet also occurred on the Indonesian islands of Java, Bawal and Telok Pai, and on the Philippine island Leyte. The Malay civet population in the Philippines may have originated in Borneo and colonized Palawan island naturally. (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of sulawesi guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)