Animal Name: African Civet

The <b>African civet</b> (<i><b>Civettictis civetta</b></i>) is a large <a class="mw-redirect" title="Viverrid" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viverrid">viverrid</a> native to <a title="Sub-Saharan Africa" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-Saharan_Africa">sub-Saharan Africa</a>, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands and <a title="Secondary forest" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_forest">secondary forests</a>. It is listed as <a class="mw-redirect" title="Least Concern" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_Concern">Least Concern</a> on the <a title="IUCN Red List" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IUCN_Red_List">IUCN Red List</a> since 2008. In some countries, it is threatened by hunting, and wild-caught individuals are kept for producing <a title="Civetone" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civetone">civetone</a> for the <a title="Perfume" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume">perfume</a> industry.

The African civet is primarily <a class="mw-redirect" title="Nocturnal" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturnal">nocturnal</a> and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset. It is a <a class="extiw" title="wikt:solitary" href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/solitary">solitary</a> <a title="Mammal" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal">mammal</a> with a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarse <a class="mw-redirect" title="Pelage" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelage">pelage</a> and rings on the tail are an effective <a title="Crypsis" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypsis">cryptic</a> pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of the <a title="Raccoon" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon">raccoon</a>. Other distinguishing features are its disproportionately large hindquarters and its erectile dorsal crest. It is an <a class="mw-redirect" title="Omnivorous" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnivorous">omnivorous</a> generalist, preying on small vertebrates, <a title="Invertebrate" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invertebrate">invertebrates</a>, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores capable of eating toxic invertebrates such as termites and millipedes.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"></sup> It detects prey primarily by smell and sound rather than by sight. It is the only living member of the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Genus (biology)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genus_(biology)">genus</a> <i><b>Civettictis.</b></i>