African Civet Species Profile: The Spotted Night Forager That Is Not a Cat

Civets are among the most distinctive animals of the African night. Sightings are usually brief, a shape moving purposefully through the grass in the beam of a spotlight, and each one is a highlight for night-drive guests.

This profile covers identification, habits, diet, scent marking and the best ways to look for one. For other night animals, see the genet, honey badger and aardvark profiles.

This guide is part of our animals of Uganda and East Africa guide. When you are ready to plan, see our Uganda safari packages or the Ameera Africa Safaris Uganda tours homepage.

Identification

The African civet is a heavily built, long-bodied animal about the size of a medium dog, with short legs that make it look low. The coat is coarse, grey to cream with black blotches and bands, and the long tail is banded and ends in black. The face is striking, with a pale muzzle, a dark mask across the eyes and ears edged in white. A crest of long dark hair runs along the back and is raised when the animal feels threatened, making it appear larger. It walks with its head held low.

Not a Cat, Not a Genet

Civets resemble cats from a distance, but they belong to the viverrid family, along with genets. They are more robust than genets, with a coarser coat, a pointed muzzle and non-retractable claws. Their tail is thick and banded but shorter relative to body size. Civets are ground-dwelling and rarely climb as willingly as genets do. If you see a small, slender animal in a tree, it is a genet. If you see a chunky animal with a mask and crest padding along the ground, it is a civet.

Habitat and Range

African civets live across much of sub-Saharan Africa and use a wide range of habitats: savanna, open woodland, thickets, forest edges, riverine areas and even farmland and the outskirts of villages. They need cover to rest in by day, such as dense grass, thickets or burrows dug by other animals, and sometimes hollow logs. They avoid very dry deserts and are usually found within reach of water. Their adaptability helps them live where many carnivores cannot.

Behaviour and Scent Marking

Civets are solitary and nocturnal, covering a good deal of ground each night as they forage. They use latrine sites called civettries, regularly returning to deposit droppings, which signal territory and advertise condition to other civets. They also mark with a musky secretion from glands near the tail. This substance, called civet, was historically harvested for perfumery, and civets were kept captive for it, a practice now widely criticised. When threatened, a civet raises its crest, growls, coughs and may spray.

Diet

Civets are true omnivores. They eat rodents, birds, eggs, reptiles, frogs, insects, millipedes, carrion and a great deal of fruit and berries. Their varied diet lets them exploit seasonal abundance, and they are resistant to some toxins and stings that would harm other animals. By eating fruit, they disperse seeds in their droppings, and civettries sometimes become seedling nurseries. They are useful controllers of rodents and insects, which gives them a role in farmland ecosystems too.

Breeding and Threats

Females produce small litters in a burrow or dense cover, and the young stay with her for some months. Leopards and large birds of prey, including some eagles, are predators, and people also hunt or snare them. Habitat loss, roadkill and bushmeat hunting are the main pressures, but the species remains widespread and is generally considered of low conservation concern. Protected areas and farmland margins with cover support healthy populations.

Where and How to See an African Civet

The best opportunity is a night drive or night walk led by a licensed guide, in parks and conservancies where after-dark activities are permitted. Good places include areas around the Masai Mara conservancies, Tarangire, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, as well as lodge grounds where staff know regular visitors. Read the guides to Kenya night drives, Tanzania night drives and Uganda night drives for rules. Keep lights low, avoid flash, and enjoy the brief view.

Planning a Uganda safari? Send us your dates and we will build the route, permits and transport around what you want to see.

Related Tours, Guides and Resources

• Ameera Africa Safaris homepage: Uganda safaris, tours and holidays
• Uganda safari packages
• Uganda travel guide
• How to book a Uganda safari
• Plan your safari with our team