Banded civet
The Banded palm civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) is a viverrid found in Southeast Asia. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because of its large geographic and elevation range and tolerance to some habitat disturbance.
The Banded palm civet has a long pointed face, reminiscent of insectivorous mammals. It has a long body set on short legs, and five toes on each foot with retractable claws. The Banded civet has short, dense fur that is generally a dark cream/buff color with four to five dark bands on its back. Its tail has two dark bands and the latter half of the tail is dark brown to black. There is a dark brown stripe that extends down the length of the top of the muzzle, and two stripes that extend from the top middle of the eye to the inside corner of the ears. There are two areas of white above and below each eye, and the muzzle is darker than the rest of the face.
Banded palm civets are native to Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, peninsular Thailand, and the Sunda Islands of Sipura, Sumatra, and Borneo. They inhabit tropical moist forests, and montane forests and can often be found in plantations.
Banded palm civets lead a solitary and secretive lifestyle. During the day they sleep in their nests in trees and at night come down to forage on the forest floor. Banded palm civets are territorial animals; they mark their territory with scents and defend it aggressively from intruders.
Banded palm civets are carnivores (insectivores, vermivores) and mainly feed on various insects, and also worms, spiders, ants, snails, and crustaceans. They may occasionally eat plants and fruits.
Little information is known about the reproductive behavior of this species in the wild. In captivity, females give birth to 1-2 pups after the gestation period of 32-64 days. The young are altricial; they open their eyes after 8 to 12 days and females nurse them for about 70 days.
The main threat to Banded palm civets includes the loss and degradation of their native habitat. They are also hunted for food and for the pet trade.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Banded palm civet total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
