African palm civet
The African palm civet (Nandinia binotata), or two-spotted palm civet, is a small mammal.[2] It is in the Feliformia suborder.[1]
| African palm civet | |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
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| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Nandiniidae |
| Genus: | Nandinia Gray, 1843 |
| Species: | N. binotata
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| Binomial name | |
| Nandinia binotata (Gray, 1830)
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| African palm civet range | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Viverra binotata Gray 1830 | |
It has short legs, small ears, a body like a civet cat, and a long lithe tail as long as its body. Adults usually weigh 1.70 to 2.10 kg (3.7 to 4.6 lb). It is native to the forests of eastern Africa and the Congo River basin. It usually lives in trees, and it is omnivorous: it eats rodents, insects, eggs, carrion, fruit, birds and fruit bats. The animal is generally solitary and nocturnal.
Although it looks like other civet species (in the family Viverridae), the African palm civet is genetically distinct: they probably diverged from other civets before the cats did. They are therefore classified as the only species in the genus Nandinia and in their own family, Nandiniidae. However, not all experts accept this.
African Palm Civet Media
An illustration depicting the African palm civet
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Van Rompaey H; Gaubert P. & Hoffmann M. (2008). Nandinia binotata. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 22 March 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
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