The second lower incisor is raised above the level of the first and third, the canines are elongate, and the carnassials are developed. Viverrids are essentially forest inhabitants, but they also live in dense brush and thick grass. They are either diurnal or nocturnal and shelter in any convenient retreat, usually a hole in a tree, a tangle of vines, ground cover, a cave, a crevice, or a burrow. A few species dig their own burrows. Those species living near people sometimes seek refuge under rafters or in the drains of houses.
Many genera are agile and extremely graceful in their movements.
Sight, hearing, and smell are acute. Viverrids may fight when cornered. They seek their prey in trees and on the ground, either by stalking it or by pouncing upon it from a hiding place. They eat small vertebrates and various invertebrates and occasionally consume vegetable matter, such as fruit, bulbs, and nuts. Carrion is taken by some species.