Morphologically, African civets have close resemblance to genets and linsangs. Due to their long body and bushy tail, they look like a member of the cat family. However, they are not true cats. They have a head and body length of 68−89 cm with a tail length of 44.5−46.3 cm and a body weight of 7−20 kg.
African civets have a high center of gravity, and the tail serves as a balance, which is kept low and horizontal during movements. African civet looks relatively short legged compared to its size.
Young civets are born in advanced stages relative to most carnivores. They are fully furred, although the fur is darker, shorter, and softer than adult fur. Their markings are more poorly defined than those of adults.
Young are able to crawl at birth, and the hind legs support the body by the 5th day. They start leaving the nest between 17-18 days, and the first sign of play behavior is seen at about 2 weeks. The young are completely dependent on mother's milk for about 6 weeks. After about 42 days, their mother provides them solid food.
African civets occupy a range of habitats including secondary forest, woodland, bush habitats as well as aquatic habitats. They are not common in interior forest habitats but thrive in degraded and deforested areas.
African Civets are omnivorous and opportunistic foragers, and their diet may include cereals (maize, wheat, barley) and domestic fruits (e.g. bananas, figs, olives). They are avid feeders on toxic millipedes, and they commonly feed on fruits such as raisin bushes (Grewia sp.) in Alldays area, Limpopo.
They are nocturnal in habit and use their acute senses of smell and hearing to locate their prey. Unlike genets, civets do not chase prey. They grab from their hiding places. During prey capture, they use their teeth to bite and shake the prey violently to break the spinal column or may bite the prey and throw it vigorously.
Civettictis civetta
