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Paradoxurus musangus
| Family Name: | Viverridae |
| Taxonomic Group: | Vertebrates (Mammal) |
| Common Name: | Common Palm Civet, Toddy Cat, Musang |
Name
Description
| Description | Body dark greyish brown, usually with three indistinct, broken dark stripes along the middle. Black spots on the sides of body. Ears and limbs black, black mask across the eyes and side of muzzle. Forehead, cheeks and part of muzzle whitish. Body long and sleek with short legs. Tail black and as long as the body. |
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Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | Mainly active during the night. Feeds on fruits, small animals, and insects. Found mainly in trees. Often seen near urbanised areas. Adults are solitary. Found in forest, scrubland, parkland and mangroves. In Singapore widespread and quite common, even in urban areas where it frequents gardens and the roof spaces of buildings. |
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| Habitats | Forest, Mangroves, Parks & Gardens, Terrestrial, Urban |
| Distribution | Distributed in India and Sri Lanka, over continental Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi and the Philippines. |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | In Singapore, civets sometimes end up in traps, thus sustaining injuries. Civets also face the threat of being killed by traffic while attempting to use roads. Kopi Luwak, the world's most expensive coffee, is made using the excreted coffee beans ingested by these civets. While some producers still boast of kopi luwak produced by wild and free civets, the increased demand and profitability of this product has created an industry of intensive farming, where wild civets are confined in small cages and fed an unhealthy diet consisting exclusively of coffee berries. |
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| Conservation Notes | Wide spread and quite common in Singapore |
Status
| Species Status | Native |
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| Conservation Status | Common |
Photos
References
| References | Baker, N. & Lim, K. 2008. Wild animals of Singapore. Singapore: Draco Publishing and Distribution Pte Ltd. 180pp |
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