African Civet
The African civet (Civettictis civetta) is the largest member of the civet family in Africa, a medium sized nocturnal mammal recognized by its coarse black and gray patterned coat, bold spots, banded tail and black facial mask. Despite the old name civet cat, it is not a cat at all, but a viverrid more closely related to genets and mongooses. Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, it inhabits savannas, forests and wetlands, usually near water. African civets are omnivores that eat rodents, birds, reptiles, insects and fruit, and they can even handle venomous snakes and toxic millipedes. They are known for producing a musky secretion that was prized for centuries in perfumery and is still collected on farms in Ethiopia. Despite being hunted for this substance, for bushmeat and for their pelts, the species remains common and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
What is an African civet? Not a cat
The African civet is often called the civet cat, but it is not a cat. It belongs to the Viverridae, a family of small carnivores found in Africa and southern Asia, and its closest relatives in Africa are the genets, while mongooses are more distant cousins. Like cats, viverrids belong to the cat branch of the carnivores, which explains the resemblance, but they split from true cats long ago. The African civet is the largest viverrid in Africa and the only living member of its genus, Civettictis. It is also not the civet behind two famous stories. The civet linked to the SARS outbreak of 2002 and 2003 was the masked palm civet of Asia, and kopi luwak, the coffee made from beans that have passed through a civet, comes mainly from the Asian palm civet. The African civet's own claim to fame is its musk, a strong smelling secretion from glands near the tail that has been used in perfume for centuries. Six subspecies have been described across its range, including a small population in the Day Forest of Djibouti.
Size and appearance
The African civet is a stocky, long bodied animal that looks a little like a cross between a raccoon and a small dog. Its head and body measure about 67 to 84 centimeters, plus a bushy tail of 34 to 47 centimeters, and it usually weighs 11 to 15 kilograms, with a full range of about 7 to 20. In South Africa, females tend to be slightly larger than males. The coarse coat is grayish to buff, covered in black spots and stripes that merge into bands on the neck and legs, and the tail is ringed in black near the base and all black toward the tip. The face is the easiest feature to recognize: a black mask across the eyes and cheeks, framed by a white muzzle, which gives it a raccoon like look in the headlights of a night drive. Along the spine runs a crest of longer, darker hair that the civet can raise when it feels threatened, making itself look bigger. The legs are fairly short and dark, and the animal walks with its head held low, often following the same paths night after night.
Where does the African civet live?
The African civet is one of the most widespread carnivores on the continent, ranging from Senegal and Gambia in the west across to Ethiopia, Somalia, and south through East and southern Africa. It favors areas with dense cover: riverine forests, woodland edges, moist savannas, and wetland margins. The species avoids true deserts like the Sahara and the Namib, and does not penetrate deep into equatorial rainforest interiors. It adapts well to secondary vegetation and the edges of agricultural land, provided water and sufficient ground cover remain available throughout its territory.
What does the African civet eat?
The African civet is among the least selective feeders of any African carnivore. Its diet shifts with what is available: small mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, millipedes, crabs, eggs, carrion, wild fruits and fungi are all consumed regularly. It is particularly capable of eating prey that other predators avoid, including toxic millipedes, poisonous toads, the fruit of strychnine trees and venomous snakes such as puff adders, which it kills by biting quickly and flinging them aside before they can strike. Fruit forms a significant part of its diet during seasons of abundance, making it an important seed disperser in woodland and forest habitats. This flexibility underpins its success across such a wide and varied geographic range.
Behavior
African civets are strictly solitary and nocturnal, emerging after dark to patrol territories of several square kilometers. They communicate through communal latrines called civetries, where multiple individuals deposit feces and scent secretions, building a chemical map of local activity. Despite their robust build, civets prefer to flee rather than confront threats. They are capable swimmers and cross rivers and wetlands without hesitation. Their movement pattern is distinctive: low slung and deliberate, often following the same trails night after night. During the day they rest in dense thickets or tall grass, rarely venturing into open ground.
Civet musk: why it was used in perfume
The African civet possesses perineal glands that produce civetone, a thick, intensely scented musk used for centuries as a fixative in perfumery. It extends the life of fragrances and was once among the most valued animal products in the trade. Ethiopia has long been the main supplier, with around 90 percent of world exports, where civets are kept in small cages and the musk is scraped from their glands every few days, a practice that continues today in small operations. Synthetic civetone has largely replaced the natural product in modern perfumery, reducing but not eliminating demand for farmed civet musk across parts of East Africa. Studies of Ethiopian civet farms have found poor diets, cramped cages and high rates of parasitic disease, which is why animal welfare groups campaign against the trade.
Is the African civet endangered?
No. The African civet is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting its wide distribution and ability to tolerate modified habitats. Even so, it faces persistent pressure across much of its range. In parts of West and Central Africa it is hunted for bushmeat and its distinctive pelt. In East Africa, civet farming for musk production remains a welfare concern. Habitat loss, particularly the conversion of woodlands to farmland, is reducing suitable cover in some areas. Populations in heavily fragmented landscapes tend to be more isolated and more vulnerable to local hunting pressure and habitat degradation over time. The species was also introduced long ago to the island of São Tomé, in the Gulf of Guinea, where it now preys on native wildlife.
Where it is found
The African Civet can be found in places such as:
