Large Indian Civet”

Scientific name: Viverra zibetha

Status: Least Concern (LC)

Characteristics: brownish grey fur with black and white stripes on neck, usually has 2 white and 3 black stripes on tail, white snout. They are about 50-95cm long, not including the tail, weighing from 5-11kg, but some individuals can grow to 25kg.

Large Indian Civets are nocturnal, are excellent climbers but spend most of their time on the ground. They are carnivorous, mainly eating smaller animals such as frogs, birds, fish, etc.

Large-spotted Palm Civet:

Scientific name: Viverra megaspila

Status: Endangered (EN). Several camera trap surveys have failed to record the existence of this civet species in Vietnam in the last 2 decades. Some researchers speculated that the species has been extirpated (locally extinct) from the country.

Characteristics: Similar to Large Indian Civet, but with larger and more defined spots on back, which can be separated or lined up in long vertical rows. Black mane runs from neck to spine. Tail rings are open as black and white semi-circles (4 white, 4 black in the proximal end of the tail) with a long black stripe on the ventral side. The distal end of the tail fades to black. Mature individuals can grow up to 76-77cm long, not including the tail, which is around 33-39cm long. They weigh around 6.6 to 8.4kg.

Owston’s Civet:

Scientific name: Chrotogale owstoni and Hemigalus derbyanus

Status: Endangered (EN).

This is a very rare species of civets with a high risk of extinction. The population of this species is found to have declined by more than 50% in the last 15 years.

Characteristics: Slim body, 40-60cm long. Yellow or gray fur, big black stripes run horizontally on the back and vertically on the face. Black spots on the legs help differentiate this species with Malaysia’s Banded Civet. Mainly feeds on invertebrates, fruits, and insects – their favorite food is earthworms

Masked Palm Civet:

Scientific name: Paguma larvata

Status: Least Concern (LC).

Characteristics: Yellow or light brown fur, no stripes or spots on body, only one white stripe running from dome to both sides of the snout resembling a mask. It is this interesting characteristic that gave the Masked Palm Civet its name.

Binturong:

Scientific name: Arctictis binturong

Status: Vulnerable (VU) Several camera trap surveys have failed to record the existence of this civet species in Vietnam in the last 2 decades. Some researchers speculated that the species has been extirpated (locally extinct) from the country. The species populations in other countries are more stable.

In Vietnam, the Binturong has multiple different names. In the Mường people’s language, it is called “tu dân”, in the Thái people’s language: “hên mi”, in the Nùng people’s language: “hên moòng”, and in some other places it is called “dog civet”. Binturongs are the biggest and heaviest of the Viverrids – they can reach 10-20kg in weight and 78-90cm in length. They can live as long as 20 years (25 years at most)

Characteristics: Black fur on the whole body; a few individuals have gray or dark gray fur. They live a solitary and quiet life in the forest, and especially like to bathe.

Small Indian Civet:

Scientific name: Viverricula indica

Status: Least Concern (LC).

Characteristics: Small Indian Civets are also solitary and nocturnal animals who mainly feed on smaller animals such as rodents, birds, and insects. They have a dark brown or gray fur, with black stripes along the spine, black spots lining up in rows on both sides of the body. Mature individuals can grow to about 55-75cm in length and 2-4kg in weight. They have 4 short black legs. Males have scent glands on both sides of testicles.

Common Palm Civet

Scientific name: Paradoxurus hermaphroditus

Status: Least Concern (LC).

Characteristics: Common Palm Civets weigh about 3-5kg, and can measure about 45-70cm in length, not including the tail, which is about 40-66cm. They have grey fur, with three characteristic black lines running along the back, as well as a black tail. There are black dots on both sides of the body. Black patches of fur surrounding the eye resemble a mask. They also have 4 black paws with sharp claws helping with climbing and looking for food.

Small-toothed Palm Civet

Scientific name: Arctogalidia trivirgata

Status: Least Concern (LC).

Characteristics: Small-toothed Palm Civets have many different characteristics to other civet species. They are generally smaller, mature individuals only growing to 2-3kg. Their long, slender body measures about 55-56cm, and the tail is even longer. Their distinctive characteristic is their white, thin, big ears. They also have big eyes, fur around the eyes being darker than in other places. Small-toothed Palm Civets are picky eaters, mainly feeding on fruits like Ficus, plums, etc., as well as eggs and birds.