ASIAN PALM CIVET

Paradoxurus hermaphroditus

The Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad range of habitats. It is widely distributed with large populations that in 2008 were thought unlikely to be declining. In Indonesia, it is threatened by poaching and illegal wildlife trade; buyers use it for the increasing production of kopi luwak, a form of coffee that involves ingestion and excretion of the beans by the animal. (wiki)

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Wildlife Alliance camera trap - Cardamom Mountains Dhole

Wildlife Alliance camera trap – Cardamom Mountains – Civet

FACTS

Asian palm civets lead a solitary lifestyle, except for brief periods during mating. They are both terrestrial and arboreal, being active during the night with peaks between late evening until after midnight.

During the day they usually rest in trees or inside rock crevices. All palm civets are more active when food is in ample supply and when predators are out. The presence of food also affects if civets have overlapping territories or not. When food is available in their region, the territories do not overlap, but when civets need to search for food they usually travel to other territories.

Males travel further in a day than females. These animals are expert climbers but less agile than other civets because their tail is non-prehensile. They move slower and need to grasp branches to move from tree to tree, instead of jumping. Asian palm civets are usually silent but can produce sounds similar to meows. When threatened they will snarl, hiss, and spit.

Instead of using vocalizations, these animals use their scent gland as their main way of communication. They mark their territories by dragging their anal glands on the ground.

Due to their solitary and nocturnal habits, little information is known about the mating system in Asian palm civets. They breed throughout the year and have up to two litters per year. They choose the resting tree to mate, give birth, and take care of young, and will stay there whole mating period.

Females give birth to 2-5 pups after a gestation period that lasts 2 months. Pups are born with their eyes closed and weigh only around 80 grams.

Camera Trap – GALLERY (Cardamom Mountains) YouTube

The Cardamom Mountain area supports more than 50 species of IUCN Threatened or Near Threatened birds, mammals, and reptiles.

Cardamom Mountains – Asian Palm civet

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