ASIAN PALM CIVETS: CHARACTERISTICS, BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION

ASIAN PALM CIVETS

Asian palm civet in southern India

Asian palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) are known by many names, including common palm civets, toddy cats, musang, and luwak. Their names vary based mainly on the region where the animals are being described. Even though they are one of the most common species of civet, and the most common mammalian carnivores, they are not very well studied. Little is known about their behavior due to their nocturnal, quiet, and secretive nature. Asian palm civets are thought to live from 15 to 20 years in the wild. One lived for 24.4 years in captivity. [Source: Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian palm civets are found throughout southern Asia, ranging the Philippines in east to Kashmir in the west. They are most widespread in southern China, the northern Himalayas, southern India, and islands in the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and the Philippine Sea. Significant populations of Asian palm civet exist in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Sundas Islands. /=\

Asian palm civets thrive in a variety of habitats. They have traditionally lived in temperate and tropical forests, but now are often found in places developed by humans such as parks, suburban gardens, plantations, and fruit orchards. These places are mainly chosen based on food availability and the presence of areas the civets can rest in, like tree hollows, rock crevices, or dense foliage. Asian palm civets are arboreal (live mainly in trees) and are known to spend a lot of time in fruit and fig trees. They prefer the tallest trees with very densest canopies and aggregations of vines, which provide them with seclusion and protection.

Asian Palm Civet Characteristics

Asian palm civets range in weight from 1.3 to five kilograms (3 to 11 pounds), with an average weight of around three kilograms (6.6 pounds). They have a head and body length that ranges from 43 to 71 centimeters (17 to 28 inches), with their average head and body length being 54 centimeters (21.26 inches). Their tail averages 48 centimeters (20 inches) in length. Their average basal metabolic rate is 5.53 cubic centimeters of oxygen per gram per hour (5.534 watts). Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is not present: Both sexes are roughly equal in size and look similar. [Source: Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian palm civets are frequently called “weasel cats” due to their similar appearance to both animals. They have elongated bodies with short legs, and a tail that is almost as long as their head and body combined. Jessica Nelson wrote in Animal Diversity Web: Their nose is pointed and protrudes from their small face. They have faces mostly like cats, but palm civets have longer and flatter skulls. Relative to their head, palm civets have large dark eyes and large pointed ears. The coat of Asian palm civets are short, coarse, and are usually black or gray with black-tipped guard hairs all over. Like racoons, palm civets faces are banded and have a white patch of fur below and above the eyes and on each side of the nose. They can be recognized by the dark stripes down their back and the three rows of black spots freckled on each side of their body and covering their legs. However, these markings are less prominent in juveniles. Unlike other civets, Asian palm civets tails do not have black rings. Rather, they are just tipped black on the very end. Another distinguishing factor that their neck hair grows backwards, whereas other members of the civet family have forward growing neck hair.

Palm civets have more specialized teeth for an omnivorous diet than other civets that mostly eat meat. Asian palm civets have teeth that are weaker and pointed, and the carnassials, that are apt for slicing meat, are less developed. Having plantigrade feet, Asian palm civets walk like bears and racoons, with their entire sole on the ground. They have naked soles, their claws are semi-retractile, and their third and fourth toes are partly fused. All these features make them excellent climbers and help them as they hunt. Finally, both males and females of this species have a perineal scent gland under their tail, resembling testicles; the feature that gave them their scientific name. This gland is located within a double-pocket pouch under the skin of the abdomen, and is used to spray in defense, to mark territory, and for communication with others of the species. /=\

Asian Palm Civet Diet and Eating Habits

Asian palm civet range: native (green); introduced )red)

Asian palm civets can be categorized as omnivores (eat a variety of things, including plants and animals), carnivores (eat meat or animal parts), insectivores (eat insects), molluscivores (eat mollusks), vermivores (eat worms), herbivores (primarily eat plants or plants parts), folivores (eat leaves), frugivores (eat fruits), granivores (eat seeds and grain), nectarivores (eat nectar from flowers), Animal foods include rats, shrews, mice, other mammals, birds, worms, eggs, reptiles, snails, scorpions, amphibians, eggs, insects, terrestrial non-insect arthropods and mollusks.. Among the plant foods they eat are seeds, grains, and nuts fruit nectar flowers sap or other plant fluids. [Source:Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian palm civets are foragers and are frequently found in urban gardens, plantations, and orchards looking for food. They are sometimes compared to raccoons in North America as they occupy a similar niche. They are opportunistic and adaptable, eating whatever is availabl, In many places they are mostly frugivorous, preferring berries and pulpy fruits over other food. Palm civets in Java have been observed feeding parts of over 35 different species of trees, shrubs, and creepers. Asian palm civets can climb fruit trees. Their favorite trees are fig trees and palm trees — the being the source of their common name. [Source:Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Palm civets are noted for their ability to pick the best and ripest fruits first, leaving the others for later. They are particularly fond of chiku, mangoes, bananas, rambutan, and papayas. They also like to eat the sap from the flowers of sugar palm trees (Arenga pinnata) that are found throughout their natural range. This sap is used by local wo make a sweet alcoholic drink called toddy, the source of another common name — the toddy cat. They also drink the nectar of silk cotton trees (Ceiba petandra) and eat the stems of the apocynaceae tree.

Asian Palm Civet Behavior

Asian palm civets are arboreal (live mainly in trees), scansorial (able to or good at climbing), nocturnal (active at night), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), sedentary (remain in the same area) and solitary. Civets travel several hundred meters, with a mean distance of 215 meters, when they search for food during the night. They are usually active between 6:00 pm and 4:00 am, but are less active during nights when the moon is brightest, with peaks between late evening until after midnight. Predation and availability of food are the main factors that determine the social organization and activity of Asian palm civets. They are generally not active during the day and begin searching for a rest site as dawn approaches. They generally spend the day curled up resting or sleeping in tree holes, rock crevices, or among vines. [Source: Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian palm civets are believed to lead a solitary lifestyle, except for brief periods during mating. They tend to remain in same area during the majority of their lives. Home ranges range from 1.4 to 50 square kilometers. Studies on the range and movement habits of Asian palm civets that used radio-tracking collars found that males have much larger ranges than females, at 17 square kilometers compared to two square kilometers for females.

According to Animal Diversity Web: When food supplies are steady in their region, palm civets typically rest in the same tree every day. It is thought that Asian palm civets developed their nocturnal behavior as a way to avoid predators that are active during the day. Typically, palm civets break up their activities with short periods of rest or comfort behaviors like grooming, stretching, or clawing. Males are a lot more active than the females, and the dominant males are more active than the submissive ones. All palm civets are more active when food is in ample supply and when fewer predators are out.

The presence of food also affects whether or not civets have overlapping territories or not. When food is readily available throughout the region, the territories do not overlap, but when civets need to search for food they typically wander into others territories. Males travel further in a day than females. Asian palm civets are both foragers and hunters. When hunting they are like cats in that they often stalk prey from a distant hiding place and then pounce. They also go from tree to tree searching for fruit, or scavenge and dig through the ground for worms. They are good but slow climbers, aided by their claws and strongly grasping hind feet. However, due to their non-prehensile tail, they are less agile than other civets. For that reason, they need to grasp branches to move from tree to tree, instead of jumping.

Asian Palm Civet Senses and Communication

Asian palm civet in Thailand

Asian palm civets sense using vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected with smell and communicate with chemicals usually detected by smelling. Civets are typically quiet animals, but they can make noises that sound similar to meows. They also hiss, snar and spit when they are disturbed or threatened. Instead of using vocalizations, Asian palm civets leave scent marks produced by special glands near their anus and placed so others can smell and taste them. The scents can be found in urine, and feces. One of the most common marking behaviors is dragging the anal glands on a surface to leave a scent. [Source: Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

According to Animal Diversity Web; Asian palm civets generally rely on scent-markings and olfactory responses to communicate. They are able to secrete self-identifying odors from their perineal gland, urine, feces, and skin glands. They mark substrates predominately by dragging their perineal gland on top of them, but they also rub their ear-neck region and heels, and drag their anus.

Males mark objects with their scent a lot more frequently than females of the species. This is probably because males are more territorial and dominant than females. Scents left from the dragging the perineal gland remain in the environment longer than any other scent Asian palm civets produce and are used as a long-term source of information about that animal./=\

Asian Palm Civet Mating, Reproduction and Offspring

Asian palm civets engage in year-round breeding and can have up to two litters a year. The number of offspring ranges from two to five, with the average number of offspring being 3.4. The average gestation period is 60 days. Females typically gives birth in tree hollows and raise their young there. The average weaning age is two months and the average time to independence is three months. Females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at 11 to 12 months; males do at nine to 11 months. Parental care is provided by females. [Source: Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Because Asian palm civets are nocturnal and elesuve most of what is known about their reproductive behavior is based on what has been observed in zoos. Despite being generally solitary, Asian palm civets come together in the same resting trees to continuously mate for a period of one to fifteen days. They find mates using scent markings from their anal glands, indicating each civets age, sex, receptivity, kin relationship, and if they are familiar. Asian palm civets are sexually receptive all year with an average estrous cycle of about 82 days.

Asian palm civets go into resting trees to mate, give birth, and take care of young, spending the whole mating period in their tree of choice. Couples tend to choose trees for this period in close proximity to other members of their group. Palm civets are altricial. This means that young are born relatively underdeveloped and are unable to feed or care for themselves or move independently for a period of time after birth. Young are born with their eyes closed and fur covering their bodies. They are very small, weighing only about 80 grams at birth. At 11 days, their eyes open. After about three months, these civets are considered fully grown.

Asian Palm Civets, Humans, Threats and Conservation

Asian palm civets are not considered endangered and their have adapted to human disturbances but their habitats are shrinking due to over-logging and clearing of land for palm oil plantations and other forms of agriculture. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies them as a species of “Least Concern”. because they have a wide distribution, large populations, are highly adaptable, and have a stable population trend. [Source: Jessica Nelson, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Asian palm civets are regarded as crop pests and can be particularly destructive because they often the ripest and best-tasting fruits first. They have also been hunted for meat. Some places such as Malaysia and Sichuan, China have enacted laws to protect them. Known natural predators include tigers, leopards, clouded leopards, pythons and crocodiles.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated January 2025