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848 Featured Specimen
Asian palm civet

Details

Asian palm civet

Paradoxurus hermaphroditus

Size
42–71 cm · 2–5 kg
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan

Asian palm civet is a nocturnal civet of forests and settlements, widely known through civet coffee stories. Civet coffee production can create welfare problems when animals are kept in poor conditions.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
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Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It lives in forests, orchards, villages, and urban green spaces from South to Southeast Asia. Main habitat types in this guide are forest, urban.

Appearance

Typical length 42-71 cm, weight 2 kg-5 kg. A long body, dark facial bands, gray-brown fur, and a long tail are characteristic.

Behavior

It is nocturnal and usually solitary. It moves between trees and the ground, visiting fruiting trees and sometimes roofs at night.

Feeding

It is omnivorous. Fruit is important, but small animals, insects, and eggs are also eaten.

Reproduction

Young are raised in safe cavities such as tree holes or building spaces.

Notes

Although still widespread in places, it remains sensitive to habitat change. Civet coffee production can create welfare problems when animals are kept in poor conditions.