African Palm Civet

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African Palm Civet
Conservation status
Least concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Nandiniidae Pocock, 1929 Genus: Nandinia Species: N. binotata
Binomial name
Nandinia binotata Gray, 1830

The African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata), also known as the Two-spotted Palm Civet, is a small mammal, with short legs, small ears, a body resembling a cat, and a long lithe tail as long as its body. Adults usually weigh 1.70 to 2.10 kg. They are native to the forests of eastern Africa, where they usually inhabit trees. Their diet is omnivorous, and includes rodents, insects, eggs, carrion, fruit, birds and fruit bats. The animals are generally solitary, and are active at night.

Although they physically resemble other civets (family Viverridae) it has been suggested that the African Palm Civets are genetically distinct, and diverge before cats from other civets. However this suggestion is not universally accepted, although they are classified as the only species in genus Nandinia and in their own family, Nandiniidae.

[edit] References

• Mustelid Specialist Group (1996). Nandinia binotata. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.