| Introduction | Mustelids | Viverrids | Herpestids | 
| Conservation Significance | References |

Small Indian civet Viverricula indica Desmarest, 1817

Distribution

It is distributed over most of India, Pakistan, eastward to south China, Myanmar, Thailand, southward from Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia (Pocock 1939, Roberts 1977, Medway 1978, Corbet & Hill 1992, Datta 1999).

Description

The small Indian civet is somewhat cat like in general appearance having relatively long forelegs and conspicuous rounded ears. The general body colour varies from sandy-buff to greyish-white and is heavily spotted with blackish patches in parallel horizontal lines. The spots are smaller in the region of the spine where they tend to coalesce into continuous lines. The spots at the flanks are considerably bigger and set apart than from the dorsal spots. All four legs are blackish or very dark brown and are often marked with small white patches. The tail is almost two third the length of head and body and is conspicuously marked with 9-10 concentric black rings. The throat and breast are greyish-white with two thick black semicircular bands on the upper throat. It lacks dorsal crest and the anterior edge of the ears is set close together. The weight varies from 2.2 - 3.4 kg (Shortridge 1914, Roberts 1977). The head and body measure 450 to 630 mm while tail length varies from 369 and 413 mm.

Five subspecies have been identified from India; V. indica indica Geoffroy, 1803 from Western Ghats, V. indica bengalensis Grey, 1832 from the plains of northern India, V. indica deserti Bonhote, 1898 from Rajasthan, V. indica wellsi Pocock, 1933 from Kangra, Kumaun and Uttar Pradesh, and V. indica baptistae Pocock, 1933 from upper Bengal and Assam.

Behaviour

It is normally solitary and strictly nocturnal and prefers long grasses and scrub to live in. Though it is capable of climbing trees, it prefers to hunt on ground. It is mostly omnivorous in nature. Its diet includes rodents, lizards, insects, small birds, birds’ eggs and nestling and often fruits. It lives in burrows dug by itself or under rocks. It is polyestrous, and young ones are seen throughout the year, with litter size between 3 to 5. The life span is around 22 years in captivity (Jones 1968).

Conservation status

It is listed in Schedule II part II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Appendix III of CITES, and LR nt during CAMP Workshop.

| Introduction | Mustelids | Viverrids | Herpestids | 
| Conservation Significance | References |