By Obiabin Onukwugha
The African civet is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is widely distributed in woodlands and secondary forests across Africa.
The civet is an omnivorous generalist, preying on small vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores capable of eating toxic invertebrates such as termites and millipedes. Civet detects prey primarily by smell and sound rather than by sight.
The African civet is primarily nocturnal and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset.
This solitary mammal has a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarse pelage and rings on the tail are an effective cryptic pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of the raccoon.
Civets are called “Età” in Yoruba, and “Edi Abali” in Igbo.
African civets deposit their faeces in large piles called latrines, or”civetries”. The latrines are characterized by fruits, seeds, exoskeletons of insect and millipede rings, and occasionally clumps of grass that promote forest regeneration. They use their perineal gland secretion to mark their territories around their civetries.
If an African civet feels threatened, it raises its dorsal crest to make itself look larger and thus more formidable and dangerous to attack. This behavior, according to researchers, is a predatory defense. But despite its agility, African civets are killed by Lion, Hyena and Leopards.
African civets mate from October to November, and females give birth in the rainy season between January and February. The average lifespan of a captive African civet is 15 to 20 years. Females create a nest which is normally in dense vegetation and commonly in a hole dug by another animal. Female African civets normally give birth to one to four young.
The young are born in advanced stages compared to most carnivores. They are covered in a dark, short fur and can crawl at birth. The young leaves the nest after 18 days but are still dependent on the mother for milk and protection for another two months.
The African civet has historically been hunted for the secretion of perineal glands. This secretion is a white or yellow waxy substance called civetone, which has been used as a basic ingredient for many perfumes for hundreds of years.
Hunting for trade as bushmeat and perennial flooding is part of the reason for decline in populations of African civet in Nigeria.
In 2006, it was estimated that about 9,400 African civets are hunted yearly in the Nigerian part and more than 5,800 in the Cameroon part of the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests.
The role of civets in ancient cultures was multifaceted and varied. From art to medicine, trade to spiritual beliefs, civets played an important role in shaping the worldviews of ancient people.
Civets have been depicted in ancient art forms across different cultures. In ancient Egyptian art, they were often depicted as protectors of the pharaohs, while in Hindu mythology, they were considered sacred animals. In ancient Greece, they were associated with Dionysus, the god of wine, and were believed to have a strong connection with the spiritual world.
In ancient medicine, civets were believed to have healing properties. The musk gland of the civet was used in traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate pain and treat various ailments.
In African culture, civets are associated with witchcraft with the ability to transform to witches.