No larger image available

No larger image available

Civet

A trip to the Republic of South Africa produces exhilaration and elation, with memories that will last a life-time. The country is famous for its spectacular natural terrain and abundant wildlife. This is none more so evident than at the world-famous Kruger National Park – one of South Africa’s most sought-after destinations. The Kruger Park is dedicated to preserving and conserving a staggering assortment of animals and has an exceptional group of well-trained guides and experts to make the safari experience an unforgettable adventure. The Civet is one of the Park’s more intriguing members. With its long tail and weasel-like facial features, the Civet is closely related to the Cat family; however, the creature belongs to the same family that includes the mongoose. Their head and body length is between 680-890mm and their tails are approximately 450mm in length. The Civet weighs between 7 and 20kg and has black and white fur and five digits on each paw with non-retractable claws. The Civet tends to reside in open country, usually near permanent water channels, but seemingly requires tall grass for protection during the daytime. Visitors to the Kruger Park hoping to catch a glimpse of these animals will need to take a special game drive at night as they are largely nocturnal and very much active after the sun goes down. Because of this lifestyle, not much is known about the Civet’s social and breeding behaviours; these secretive animals appear to lead solitary lives except during mating season. They have fairly advanced methods of communication using visual, auditory, and olfactory senses to converse properly. Their scent glands play a major role in social interactions as the females can transmit information that they are in oestrus by leaving a scent trail for males. The Civet’s diet is mainly omnivorous with their main predators being the hyena, leopard, and lion.