The Behaviour in Captivity of the African Civet, Civettictis civetta (Schreber)

The African civet, Civettictis civetta, is the largest of the African viverrids: the head and body length of an adult o may be as much as 80 cm, with a tail not quite as long as the body, but the ~ is distinctly smaller. The species is widely distributed through both forest and savanna regions, wherever long grass or thickets are sufficient to provide daytime refuges, from the southern fringes of the Sahara southwards to northern Zululand, Botswana and northern South West Africa. Nevertheless, the civet's solitary, nocturnal habits and its timidity make observations in the wild difficult and little is known of its behaviour.