Musang, or Malayan palm civet. The secret world of viverrids See what the "Palm civet" is in other dictionaries

Appearance

Small in size: body length is 44-58 cm, but with a long (46-62 cm) and rather thick tail. Body weight ranges from 1.7-2.1 kg. The outline of the body resembles a cat, but the paws are short, with long curved claws. The ears are round and short. The fur is short, woolly, the hair has hard tips. The coat color is dull, usually grayish or brown, with a reddish or chestnut tint, with indistinct dark spots. There are often two cream-colored spots on the back, and dark brown spots on the lower back and at the base of the tail. The tail is usually darker than the body, decorated with a characteristic ringed pattern. On the soles of the paws between 3 and 4 fingers there are odorous glands; in the lower abdomen - a narrow longitudinal glandular field, releasing a brown liquid with a strong odor.

Lifestyle

Nandinia are common in the wooded regions of Africa; forests rarely leave. They lead a semi-arboreal lifestyle; active at night, during the day resting in the forks of branches at a height of 10-30 m above the ground or in the weave of lianas. Usually solitary; the exceptions are females with broods and clusters of 10-15 individuals in feeding areas. Nandinia are territorial, and males and females do not allow adult sexually mature individuals to enter their territories. In females, an individual territory occupies up to 45 hectares, in males - up to 100 hectares and covers the territories of several females. Territorial fights can be violent and sometimes end in death.

Nandinia are predominantly frugivorous; a study of the contents of the stomachs showed that in their diet 80% are fruits, as well as small rodents, fruit bats, birds and bird eggs, large beetles and caterpillars, carrion. Having settled in the house, nandinia quickly destroys rats, mice, cockroaches. Nandinia food is found both in trees and on the ground; They like to climb into bird nests and chicken coops. They travel long distances in search of food. Nandinia are the only animals that feed on coffee beans. Coffee brewed from grains underdigested by animals (Kopi Luwak) is considered the most expensive and is recognized as curative.

reproduction

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See what "Palm civet" is in other dictionaries:

African palm civet- African palm civet ... Wikipedia

Nandinium

Nandinia- ? palm civet scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates ... Wikipedia

palm civets- ? Palm civet Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates ... Wikipedia

The beauty and uniqueness of the Himalayas and the Grand Canyon, the grandeur of Niagara Falls and Mariana Trench… After creating all these miracles, nature does not stop there. The planet has a large number of animals with amazing appearance and sometimes disturbing habits.

Where do unusual animals live? It is not difficult to answer this question - everywhere. Their habitat is not only earth's surface but also under water, in deserts and in forests. One of these unusual animals is civet. What is this animal?

This is a predatory animal gray color with brown spots, with a narrow head and wide ears. The size of a civet is no larger than an average dog, its length is 55 cm, and its weight is about 2 kg. The tail of the animal is long and has a large number of brown rings on it. The civet belongs to the family of mammals of cats, in appearance it resembles them, only the coat of the civet is much coarser than that of cats.

Features and habitat of the civet

You can meet this unique beast in the Himalayas, in the countries of South Asia and on. It is impossible to meet a civet on our continent, except in a zoo, and then very rarely. What is the peculiarity of these wild ones? They take part in the production of an elite coffee variety called Kopi Luwak.

Each person has his own attitude to it, but it is this coffee that is considered the most expensive. The technology of its preparation may confuse some people. The civet feeds on the highest quality coffee fruits. Her body does not overdo the coffee beans.

They leave the animal in the same unchanged form. After collecting these grains, they are well washed, dried and sold. The whole interest of this process is that, due to the unusual gastric juice of the civet, ordinary coffee beans, having passed through gastrointestinal tract beast, acquire an incredible taste.

Therefore, civets are often bred in recent times on an industrial scale for the production of this elite coffee. This business is especially popular in Vietnam. But many coffee connoisseurs notice that the coffee that came to the counter from the industrial settlements of civet is comparatively different from the drink that the peasants collect in wild nature.

All this is because in captivity the animal cannot independently choose really high-quality coffee fruits, he has to eat what they give. african civet it resembles in its appearance, there is a resemblance to a marten, as well as to a mongoose. Prefers savannas, African forests with tall grass and thickets, which help the animal to hide from the eyes in the daytime.

The main rule for the African civet is that there must be a reservoir nearby. Dry areas do not appeal to them. Due to many features, the African civet can be distinguished from the rest of the inhabitants of the savannah. The body of the animal is elongated with low legs.

Its muzzle is pointed, has a black color in the form of a mask. At the slightest fright or excitement along her back, the hair rises on end. This is a sign that the civet is worried. It is a nocturnal inhabitant of the savannah. The peak of its activity falls on the evening or early morning.

During the day, the African civet hides in different places, the herb helps her with this. Only females with babies have a permanent home. These animals prefer solitude. During the breeding season, it has from 1 to 4 babies 2-3 times a year.

Character and lifestyle

This is a pretty smart animal that is not afraid of people. There have been many cases where civet animal tamed by people, they lived at home like cats. Observers say that in many ways they are even superior to cats. They prefer to live on the mezzanine.

They can easily open the refrigerator and steal food from there, hide some of it. They do not tolerate tobacco smoke and can jump up abruptly and pull a smoking cigarette out of the smoker's hands. This picture looks pretty funny and funny. But there is one drawback.

You can accidentally stand and fall under the fetid stream of animal urine from a height. This is how civet cope in the wild, and in captivity they also cannot do otherwise. In the wild, she sleeps during the day and stays awake at night.

palm civet most often tamed by humans. She is friendly and can be easily tamed. After adaptation in the human home, the animal copes well with mice and harmful insects. This is the name of the civet, which is involved in the production of coffee.

Civet nutrition

These predatory animals prefer animal food. Beetles, caterpillars, and bird eggs, various carrion - these are the main and favorite food of civets. They have great courage and can climb into the chicken coop without fear. But, of course, coffee fruits have always been and will remain the favorite food of civets.

Reproduction and lifespan

In different areas, the breeding season of civets begins in different time. Kenya and Tanzania - March - October. South - August - January. The weather should be warm and food should also be enough. The female is fertilized 2-3 times a year. One to four civet cubs are born.

The female does not particularly bother about the dwelling, she uses old abandoned animal minks or natural structures made of tree roots. Civet babies immediately after birth are different from babies of other animals. They are covered with wool, they immediately know how to crawl, and on the fifth day they stand on their paws.

And after 20 days, they already boldly come out of hiding. At 6 weeks, the female mother is already feeding the babies with solid food, and at 2 months they are able to get it for themselves. The life expectancy of this amazing animal is up to 16 years. Civet in the photo enthuses all people. It seems that there is nothing unusual in this beast, but it is pleasant and interesting to look at it.

small civet lives in the Himalayas and. Valued for the civet it produces. The indigenous people of those countries process their homes with civet. For Europeans, this smell is unacceptable. Lesser civet learned to breed in captivity. They feed her with rice, bananas and poultry, and in return they receive fragrant civet, which is used in perfumery.

Musang, or Malayan palm civet (lat. Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) belongs to the Viverridae family. The animal is famous for its innate intelligence and complaisant character.

In the countries of Southeast Asia, it is often kept as pet. In Russian-language literature, it is sometimes called the palm marten.

The animal not only becomes attached to its owner, but also takes care of protecting the home from the invasion of rats and mice. It is not afraid of a person and willingly settles on the roofs of houses, delivering little joy to their residents with its activity at night. For this reason, in many regions, the attitude of the local population towards him is not friendly. Europeans have the same feelings for (Martes foina), which has similar habits.

Despite its scientific name, the musang is not a hermaphrodite.

So it was named in 1777 by the German naturalist Peter Pallas because of the presence in both sexes of large glands located at the base of the tail, resembling paired male gonads. With their secret, the animals mark the boundaries of their home plots.

Kopi luwak or feces coffee

Musangs are able to bring their owners, in addition to the joy of communication, also quite tangible material benefits. In China, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, there are many farms where these animals are grown for one purpose. They want to feed them as many coffee beans as possible to get valuable feces. They are of particular value to true coffee lovers.

After passing through the gastrointestinal tract of the animal, coffee beans are exposed to enzymes that lead them to fermentation and improvement. palatability. They acquire a unique rich aroma with hints of chocolate, caramel, honey, butter and mustiness, which in many causes a feeling of genuine delight and elation. For such an elite pleasure, moneybags are ready to pay up to $ 1,200 per 1 kg of a natural product.

The name of the resulting delicacy consists of two Indonesian words - kopi and luwak, respectively, denoting coffee and palm civet in the local dialect.

The elite drink arose thanks to the pathological greed of the leadership of the Dutch East Indies, which included the islands of the Malay Archipelago. The Dutch forced the natives to grow coffee trees brought from Yemen, but forbade even tasting their fruits under threat of physical punishment. The poor fellows had only to watch how the vile exploiters enjoy a delicacy unknown to them.

One day, a very attentive peasant was walking near the plantation and found excrement in which there were undigested coffee beans. He did not differ in excessive disgust, so he brought the find home, washed it, dried it, ground it and prepared a mysterious drink for himself and his household. Its taste exceeded all expectations, so the good-natured farmer shared his impressions with his neighbors, and they soon went to collect feces in the surroundings.

For a long time, Europeans who learned about this method of making coffee considered it barbaric and flatly refused to taste it.

The popularizer of the new drink was the British entrepreneur Joshua Robinson.

He was the first to think of keeping civets on specialized farms and began to produce kopi luwak on an industrial scale.

Despite the fact that almost all products on this moment produced on farms, the most expensive are the grains found in the native way. Producers living in narrow cages are limited in choosing the ripest berries, so the product they produce is a priori in no competition with the creation of their free counterparts. Here is such a capricious Musangi coffee.

Spreading

The palm civet is widely distributed in Southeast and South Asia. AT vivo it is found in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Vietnam.

The animal was brought to Sumatra, Sulawesi, Timor, Java, Japan and the Lesser Sunda Islands, where it successfully acclimatized.

Musang prefers to settle in dense tropical and subtropical rainforests, rarely observed in other types forest areas. Increasingly appears in gardens and city parks, where fruit trees and figs (Ficus carica) grow. AT highlands it is observed at altitudes up to 2500 m above sea level.

To date, 30 subspecies are known. Inhabiting the Philippines, Borneo, and the Indonesian islands, Mentawai subspecies P.h. philippensis is classified by a number of taxonomists as a separate species.

Behavior

The palm civet leads an active nocturnal lifestyle. In Asia, it occupies approximately the same ecological niche as (Procyon lotor) in North America.

The animal sleeps in the hollows of old trees during the day, and with the advent of twilight it poisons itself in search of food, remaining active until dawn. He mainly hunts in the middle tiers of the forest, the structure of the limbs allows him to quickly move along the branches.

Particular agility is manifested on moonlit nights. In many regions, the musang willingly trades on farm plantations, causing significant damage to farmers. In the wild, it is a voluntary seed distributor of various plants, primarily palms of the Pinanga genus.

This mammal loves to live in splendid isolation, meeting with members of the opposite sex exclusively in mating season. It constantly marks the boundaries of its possessions with urine, feces and secretions of odorous glands, which serve as the main means of communication. Their specific scent can be used to deter predators.

The area of ​​home plots of males can reach 17 square meters. km, and in females usually does not exceed 2 square meters. km. Their size depends on the availability of forage.

The main natural enemy is (Pithecophaga Jeffery). In the southern states of India and in China, the local population eats musang meat for food. Healers make medicinal tinctures from it and odorous glands. The potion is exposed to the sun and is subsequently used to treat skin diseases, in particular scabies common in these parts.

Food

The diet consists mainly of various fruits and berries. The daily menu is dominated by fruits (Mangifera), (Nephelium lappaceum), (Manilkara zapota), flowers and juice of heliconia (Heliconia).

Malayan civets have a particular fondness for the fermented juice of the palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer). It is used to make Toddy palm wine, popular in Asia, reminiscent of liquor in taste.

Small mammals, reptiles, centipedes, worms, insects and their larvae are eaten to a lesser extent.

In captivity, you can feed any fruits and vegetables, cottage cheese, lean meat and chicken eggs.

reproduction

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 11-12 months. AT tropical zone palm civet breeds all year round, and in the subtropics, the peak of birth occurs from October to December.

Mating takes place on tree branches and lasts about 5 minutes. As a rule, partners make several attempts in a row.

After mating, they stay together for some time, and then scatter in different directions. Fathers do not take part in the upbringing of their offspring, all the hardships fall on the shoulders of the mother.

After 86-90 days of pregnancy, the female brings from 2 to 5 babies weighing about 90 g in a pre-prepared nest, which is located in a hollow. Milk feeding lasts up to two months.

At the age of three months, babies begin to accompany their mother on night outings. At the age of 10-11 months, they become completely independent and go in search of their own land.

Description

The body length of adults is 45-58 cm, the tail is 44-53 cm. The weight ranges from 2400 to 4000 g. The body is slender and muscular, the limbs are strong and short.

The main background of the color is gray or gray-black. The face, ears and paws are predominantly black. Dark stripes run along the back from the back of the head to the tail. On the shoulders and sides, they often turn into separate spots. On the muzzle is a characteristic white mask.

AT oral cavity there are 3 pairs of incisors, 1 pair of canines and 6 pairs of molars. The fur consists of coarse hair.

In the wild, musang lives 7-10 years. In captivity at good care lives up to 20 years.

area: southern Yunnan and southwestern Huanghe province in China; northern Vietnam, northern Laos.

Description: Owston's palm civet has an elongated body, the muzzle and tail are long. The head is small with a tapering muzzle. The teeth are small, the incisors are closely set, wide, arranged in a semicircle, which is unique for predators. The body has four dorsal stripes running along the body.
The shape of the body and the pattern of stripes on the coat of the Owston civet is similar to the palm striped civet ( Hemigalus derbyanus), but there are a number of differences in the structure of the skull and teeth.
In males, between the testicles and penis, and in females, near the vulva, there is an odorous gland shaped like a horseshoe.

Color: the body and the base of the tail are painted in contrasting stripes of dark and light tones. Four black longitudinal stripes on the head, neck and shoulders; transverse black stripes on the back of the body and tail. The body is yellowish brownish gray. The lower part of the body is light, cream or reddish, the lower part of the body (from the chest to the urinary opening) with a narrow orange stripe. The last two thirds of the tail are black.

Dimensions: body length 50-64 cm, tail 38-48 cm.

The weight: 2-3 kg.

Lifespan: In captivity, one civet lived up to 12.7 years.

Habitat: tropical evergreen and mixed, primary and secondary forests. Prefers to settle near rivers. Sometimes found near human habitation in search of food.

Enemies: not known.

Food: Owston's palm civet is a carnivore, predominantly insectivore. A significant part of the diet consists of various insects and earthworms. A small part is made up of small vertebrates and fruits. In captivity, civets eat beef, chicken, and bananas well.

Behavior: leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Returns to its lair early in the morning.
It feeds primarily on the ground, aided by its long snout, which is used to dig and retrieve invertebrates from under leaves and loose soil.
The lair is usually located under large tree trunks or in dense vegetation, but it can also be located in natural holes in trees, rocks, or soil.
It spends most of its time on the ground, but occasionally climbs trees in search of food.
social structure: The Owston palm civet is solitary and territorial. He marks the boundaries of his site with the secret of the anal glands. This strong-smelling substance is also used in defense against predators.
In captivity, civets live peacefully in the same enclosure.

reproduction: almost no data.

Season/breeding period: In captivity, mating occurs from January to March, although it can last until November.

Pregnancy: the average is 60-61 days.

Offspring: the female gives birth to 1-3 blind puppies covered with wool. The weight of newborns is about 75-88 g. Lactation lasts up to 12-18 weeks.

Benefit / harm to humans: Owston's civet is hunted in the forests of Northern Indochina for its meat and body parts, which are used in the preparation of traditional medicines.
The meat of the civets is not only used as food by the local population, but is also sold to restaurants, while the skins are used to make stuffed animals.
One of the civets' favorite food is ripe coffee berries. From seeds that have passed through the digestive tract of an animal in Indonesia, one of the most expensive varieties of coffee is obtained - Luwak (Luwak is the Indonesian name for palm civet). 1 kg of this variety costs more than $1000. It is believed that when coffee beans pass through the civet's digestive tract, some of the "bitter" proteins are removed and the coffee becomes sweeter. If you decide to try this coffee, keep in mind that in Indonesia, coffee is not brewed, but simply poured with boiling water. Therefore, the taste of it - for an amateur.
Civets are harvested and bred also for the sake of civet, which is used in the perfume industry and medicine.

Population/conservation status: The Owston palm civet is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and CITES Convention (Appendix II).
Due to the limited range of this species, habitat destruction and hunting, there is a threat to the existence of this species.
The species is protected in China and Vietnam.
The meat of civets can pose a threat to life for humans, as an outbreak of bird flu among civets in Southeast Asia has been reported. Scientists have established that it is the civet that is the distributor of the SARS virus (SARS), the outbreaks of which occurred in 2002 and 2003. These bans had an impact and consumption of civets decreased by 40.3% in 2005.

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