There are many strange animals in the world that surprise with their appearance, habits or abilities. For example, a cheetah can reach speeds of up to 130 km per hour and overtake a car, and a chameleon can easily disguise itself in any environment, changing the color of its body. One of such interesting animals is African civet. This animal is listed in the Red Book and is under careful protection. Information about him is presented in the article.
Appearance
There are several types of civet, namely six. African - the largest in size of the entire Viverov family. Outwardly, the African civet, the photo of which is presented in the article, very much resembles partly a marten, and partly a cat. Because of this similarity, this animal in the homeland is called a wiver cat.
His head is wide, oblong with a sharp muzzle. The ears are short, but with a point on top. The body length in adults can reach 70 cm, including the tail, which is about 35 cm long. The African civet tail is very strong and strong. At the base it is wide and gradually tapers towards the tip.
The legs of the animal are not very long and thin, such limbs help him during the jumps. These animals are strong and fast enough. On each paw they have five fingers with not very sharp retractable claws. It is interesting that the lower part of the paws (where regular cats have pads) in a weaver cat is completely covered with wool.
African Civetta cannot boast of fur: it is loose throughout the body, rare and rude. These mammals are short-haired. Their feature is the mane. It is located in the middle of the body and stretches parallel to the chord, starting at the beginning of the neck and ending at the tip of the tail. This feature helps African civet during dangerous situations. When the animal is frightened, he fluffs the mane, puts it upside down and stands on its hind legs, trying to seem more than it actually is. The mane can reach a length of up to 10 cm.
The mouth of the African civet is strong enough, its teeth are wide and strong, capable of cracking very hard materials. All animals have forty teeth.
The color of the animals is very extraordinary. Behind the skin there are many black, dark brown spots and stripes on a light background. This color of the back of the body is very similar to the color of the hyena. But the muzzle and neck of the animal in color are very similar to a raccoon. It is as if a black mask is put on the light muzzle around the eyes and nose. The overall color is also different. It can be white, red, light brown, gray, etc. In general, the African civet is rather pretty and extraordinary.
One individual can weigh from 7 to 20 kg.
Lifestyle
This is a land animal. Civetta African leads mainly a nocturnal lifestyle. Prefers cool, often hunts in the rain. The favorite time of day is the hours from sunset to midnight. Basically, these animals are very alienated and secretive, it is quite difficult to see them. Usually they carefully hide in tall herbs. Individuals lead a lonely life, with the exception of the breeding season. These animals swim well.
African civet omnivores. Mostly they feed on insects and small animals, can hunt small birds, but also eat plants, carrion, eggs and larvae of insects or other animals. Civet live in the nests. They equip such "houses" in small caves, empty pillars of trees, in burrows of larger animals, such as anteaters.
Hunting
Civetta African in nature hunts mainly at night. These animals look for prey for a long time and follow it, hiding in the tall grass. Choosing the best moment, civet attack the victim, grabbing her teeth. They tightly squeeze their mouth, preventing the prey from escaping, and begin to shake their heads strongly. Due to shaking, the spine is broken in the victim, which leads to her death.
Breeding
The breeding period of civet depends on the habitat. For example, in West Africa they can breed all year round, in Kenya and Tanzania, mating takes place from March to October, and in South Africa from August to January. The pregnancy of the female lasts from two to three months. For a year, the female can bring up to three litters, each from 1 to 4 puppies.
Before giving birth, she equips herself with a new den, in which she gives birth. Puppies are born quite developed, for example, they can crawl right after birth. On the fifth day, the kids already walk, on the 18th day they leave the nest, and they begin to hunt already at the age of two months. A female babies feeds milk for six weeks, after which the cubs begin to independently eat more solid foods. Capable of reproducing civet become one year after birth. Being in captivity, African civet very often kill and eat their babies.
Habitat
African civet is mainly distributed in Africa. They live in territories that are located just south of the Sahara. These animals are not on the Somali Peninsula and in the southernmost part of Africa.