Mammals of the WorldSmall Indian Civet
Viverricula indica
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Viverridae
- Genus
- Viverricula
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Pakistan|India|Sri Lanka|Nepal|Bhutan|Bangladesh|China|Taiwan|Myanmar|Vietnam|Cambodia|Laos|Thailand|Malaysia|Indonesia
- Realm
- Indomalaya
Other names: Lesser Oriental Civet
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 53–58cm; tail 38–43cm
- Weight
- 2–4kg
- Diet
- Mainly small vertebrates, especially rodents; also fruit, carrion and insects
- Habitat
- Forest edges and grassland; recorded up to 2,500m in north-east India
- Litter size
- 2–5 young
- Gestation
- 65–69 days
The small Indian civet has coarse fur, brownish grey to pale yellowish brown, marked with black or brown bands along the back and rows of spots on the sides. There are black and white rings on the neck and a banded black-and-white tail. It is 53–58 cm long in head and body with a 38–43 cm tapering tail and weighs 2–4 kg, with males larger than females (Wikipedia, general species account; Animal Diversity Web).
It occurs in most of India, and elsewhere from Sri Lanka to Myanmar, Southeast Asia and south China. In 2008 one was recorded for the first time in Dachigam National Park at 1,770 m, and in north-east India it has been recorded up to 2,500 m. It is generally solitary and nocturnal, mostly ground-living but a good climber, and rests in burrows or hollow logs. Gestation averages 65–69 days (Wikipedia, general species account; Animal Diversity Web).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)