Viverra tangalunga Gray 1832
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Viverridae
Viverra
Viverra tangalunga

description: 5.
Malay Civet
Viverra tangalunga
French: Civette malaise / German: Malaiische Zibetkatze / Spanish: Civeta malaya
Taxonomy. Viverra tangalunga Gray, 1832,
West Sumatra.
Two subspecies are recognized, but a systematic revision is needed.
Subspecies and Distribution.
V. t. tangalunga Gray, 1832 — Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, several Indonesian islands (Amboina I, Banggi I, Langkawi I, Rhio-Lingga Archipelago, Bangka I, Karimata I & Sulawesi), and the Philippines; also two records from Java, but no evidence of native population.
V. t. lankavensis Robinson & Kloss, 1920 — Malaysia (Langkawi I).
Descriptive notes. Head—body 54-773 cm,tail 26-39. 5 cm, neck circumference 18-23. 1 cm, hindfoot 8:2-11. 6 cm, ear 2-5—4-8 cm; weight 3-7 kg. A fairly large civet with conspicuous black and white bands on the throat and sides of the neck. The coat varies from ash-gray to yellowish-gray, with numerous small black spots on the flanks, thighs, and hindlegs. A black line runs along the back to the tip of the tail; there is a series of spots arranged in a row on each side of the dorsal median stripe. The face is gray, with a white patch on each side of the muzzle. There is a white patch below each eye, the rhinarium is large with a deep groove, and the ears are rounded. The chin is blackish brown. Thetail has 10-15 dark brown or black rings, alternating with pale rings. The legs are blackish. The feet have five digits, but the hallux and pollex are reduced; the claws are retractable, and there are no metatarsal pads. There are two pairs of teats. Skull similar to that of Viverra zibetha, but smaller. Dental formula: 1 3/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 2/2 = 40.
Habitat. Primary and disturbed forest, up to 1100 m. Also found in plantations and near villages that are adjacent to forest.
Food and Feeding. Omnivorous. Diet includes invertebrates (beetles, crabs, scorpions, and millipedes), fruit, small mammals (rodents and insectivores), birds, frogs, snakes, and lizards. May enter forest camps and villages looking for food scraps. Forages on the ground. A male civet was observed foraging using three capture techniques: pausing to listen, then plunging its head into the undergrowth; running over a short distance to grab prey; sniffing up and down vegetation before snapping at small prey.
Activity patterns. Mainly nocturnal, with activity peaks immediately after dark and shortly before dawn. In Sabah, the mean activity from 18:00-07:00 h was 81%; on Sulawesi it was 94%. Malay Civets were more active during the day on Sulawesi (57%) than in Sabah (21%). Rest sites are within dense cover on the ground.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Generally solitary. Terrestrial, but can climb trees. In Sarawak, a male had a home range of 0-5-0-7 km®. In Sabah, in an unlogged forest, the mean home range size for males was 0-93 km? and 0-80 km? for females; in a logged forest, the mean home range size for males was 1-59 km?®, and 1-05 km? for females. On Sulawesi (Buton Island), the mean home range size for males was 0-86 km?, and 0-50 km? for females. In Sabah, there was considerable home range overlap in both sexes, indicating that this species was not territorial; however, there was low intra-sexual overlap on Sulawesi. In Sabah, the density of Malay Civets was lower in logged forest (1 per 1-1 km?) than unlogged forest (1 per 0-5 km*); minimum daily travel distance ranged from one to 9-7 km. On Sulawesi, the mean minimum distance covered in 24 hours was 415 m for males, and 286 m for females. A male civet has been observed scent marking using three methods: after protracted sniffing at a site, the civet elevated its tail, reversed into an upright tree trunk, and swayed its posterior from side to side; as it meandered aboutit paused momentarily, dipped and pressed its anal region onto the ground, raised it again and moved on; the side of the head and neck was rubbed against vegetation. Feces are found in latrines on the ground, generally in cavities and depressions.
Breeding. On Peninsular Malaysia, a female appeared to be denning in October and November one year, and in August the following year. Two juvenile civets (about one month old) were caught in late August. At about nine months old, two young civets were not yet adult size and weight; the adult canines were just erupting in one individual. In Sabah, juveniles were captured between March and May.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Considered to be common, however, the exact population status in the wild is unknown. Its presence on some islands in South-east Asia possibly resulted from introduction. Although Malay civets seem able to tolerate habitat disturbance, forest loss and degradation could be a threatto this species, and their ability to survive in disturbed habitats and forage in plantation areas may be influenced by the proximity of undisturbed forest. They are hunted and snared for food. Malay Civets are often considered pests as they prey on small livestock and raid fruit orchards, and may be deliberately killed in retaliation. Malay Civets foraging in plantation areas may also be inadvertently killed if they ingest pesticides, either directly or via contaminated food and ground water.
Bibliography. Colon (1996, 1999, 2002), Corbet & Hill (1992), Jennings et al. (2006), Kitcheneret al. (1993), Macdonald & Wise (1979), Meiri (2005), Nowak (1999), Nozaki et al. (1994), Veron (1999, 2001), Wozencraft (2005).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Viverridae, pp. 174-232 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 178-179, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5714564