Small Indian Civet

The small Indian civet is brown, yellow or tawny orange, with black and white rings on the neck, small body spots that run together into six to eight dark stripes along the back, and a black-and-white banded tail. Adults weigh 2 to 4 kg, and males are larger than females. It is the only species in its genus (Animal Diversity Web; Wikipedia, general species account).

It is generally solitary and nocturnal, mostly ground-living but a good climber, and rests in burrows or hollow logs. Prey is mainly small vertebrates, especially rodents, with fruit, carrion and insects taken opportunistically. Litters are two to five young. It uses a wide range of habitats and lives well in agricultural and secondary landscapes (Animal Diversity Web; Wikipedia, general species account).