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African palm civet Facts

African palm civet Facts
African palm civet is small forest-dwelling mammal that belongs to the Nandiniidae family. There are 4 subspecies of African palm civet that can be found in the eastern and central parts of Africa. African palm civet inhabits tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, savanna woodlands and mountainous forests. Even though it is often hunted as a source of meat and fur, the biggest threat for its survival is accelerated habitat loss. Despite these factors, population of African palm civets is still large and stable.
Interesting African palm civet Facts:
African palm civet can reach 17 to 28 inches in length and 3 to 10 pounds of weight.
African palm civet has thick, brown to yellowish-brown fur covered with dark brown spots.
African palm civet has pointed muzzle, small, round ears, elongated body, short, muscular legs and long sturdy tail.
African palm civet is an omnivore. Its diet is based on fruit (pineapples, figs, sugar plums...), lizards, small birds, frogs, rodents, insects and carrion.
African palm civet holds the prey with its front feet and kills it with several repeated bites. It swallows small prey in one piece.
African palm civet is classified as pest in agricultural areas because it attacks chickens, turkeys, young goats and lambs.
African palm civet is active during the night. It rests in the holes in the trees or in between branches and vines during the day.
African palm civet is solitary animal. It can be occasionally seen in groups of up to 15 animals when food is plentiful.
Natural enemies of African palm civet are lions, leopards, snakes and crocodiles.
Both males and females use glands on the feet and belly to mark their territory and find partners for mating. Aside via smell, African palm civets communicate with each other via hooting calls, meowing and clicking sounds. They are also able to purr, growl and bark.
Mating season of African palm civet takes place two times per year, during the May and October (during the rainy season).
Males mate with few females. Pregnancy lasts 64 days and ends with 1 to 4 babies (2 on average). Young African palm civets depend on the mother's milk until the age of 60 days. After that period, they are ready to hunt and collect food together with their mother.
Females secrete yellowish-orange substance from their mammary glands and use it to cover belly and fur of their babies. Bright yellow fur is probably a signal that female is not ready to mate.
Young African palm civets reach sexual maturity at the age of 2 to 3 years.
African palm civet can survive up to 15 years in the wild and up to 21 years in the captivity.


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