Viverricula indica

The small civet is a species of civet that is very similar to the large civet.

The civet is a solitary nocturnal animal that hides during the day and comes out at night. The peak of its activities is mainly concentrated from 15:00 to 22:00 every night. It is alert and timid, agile, can swim, is good at climbing, and can climb trees to prey on birds, squirrels or pick fruits.

Small civets have the habit of rubbing incense. When they go out, they often rub the secretions in the scent sac on protruding objects such as tree trunks and stone walls. The main purpose of wild civets rubbing incense is to mark their own territory and lure civets of the opposite sex. When encountering enemies, small civets can discharge a yellow and smelly secretion from the anal glands to defend themselves.

The main factors that lead to the endangered population of small civets are overhunting, food poisoning caused by environmental pollution, and lack of habitat.

China has natural reserves where small civets are distributed, including Taoyuan Cave, Huping Mountain, Badagong Mountain, Suoxiyu, Bamian Mountain, Mangshan, Poyang Lake (Jiangxi), Yanquan, Taohongling, Jinggang Mountain, Panzhihua Cycad, Wanglang, Wolong, Tangjiahe, Jinyun Mountain, Jinfo Mountain, Mount Everest, Shilin (Yunnan), Ailao Mountain, Cangshan Erhai, Dawei Mountain, Jinping Watershed, Nujiang River, Gaoligong Mountain, Tongbi Pass, Qingliang Peak, Tianmu Mountain (Zhejiang), Gutian Mountain, Wuyanling, Wawu Mountain, Dawuling, Zhujia Mountain, Gunma Township (Sansui), Nanjing South Subtropical Rain Forest, etc.

National key protection level: Level 1, effective year: 2021

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix III

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN): Red List, effective year: 2008.

Protect wild animals and eliminate game.

Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!

Small civets are mainly distributed in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, from eastern Pakistan to the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, southern and central China, Taiwan, Indochina, Sumatra, Java and Bali. They have been introduced to Madagascar, Tanzania and other regions.
In China, small civets are mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Taiwan and other places.
Small civets like quiet, dark, dry and clean environments, and are more adapted to cool climates than large civets. They mostly live in tropical and subtropical low-altitude areas, such as low mountain forests, shrub layers of broad-leaved forests, tree holes, stone caves, and tombs.

The snout is pointed and protruding, the forehead is narrow, the ears are short and round, and the eyes are small and bright. The tail of the small civet is relatively long, and the tail length is generally more than half of the body length. The limbs are strong, and the hind limbs are slightly longer than the forelimbs; the feet have five toes, but the third and fourth toes of the front feet are not protected by claw sheaths, are retractable, and can be exposed from the middle of the foot pads. There are highly developed sac-like scent glands in the perineum, which look like a pair of kidneys when closed and a half-cut apple when open. The scent glands of males are slightly larger than those of females.
The basic fur color of the small civet is mostly brown-gray and creamy yellow. The front edge of the eye socket and behind the ear are dark brown, there are 2 dark brown neck stripes from behind the ear to the shoulder, and there are usually 3 to 5 darker dorsal stripes from the sho