The large-spotted civet (''Viverra megaspila'') is a
viverrid native to
Southeast Asia that is listed as
Endangered on the
IUCN Red List.
Characteristics
Pocock Pocock is a surname, and may refer to:
*Andrew Pocock (born 1955), British High Commissioner to Nigeria
* Barbara Pocock, one of the candidates of the 2022 Australian federal election
* Bill Pocock (1884–1959), English footballer
* Blair Pocock ...
described the large-spotted civet as varying in colour from silvery-grey to golden-buff or tawny with a black to brown pattern and large or comparatively small spots, which are separated or sometimes fusing into blotches or into vertical stripes behind the shoulders. White bands on the tail are mostly restricted to the sides and lower surface but very seldom form complete rings. Adults measure in head and body with a long tail. Its weight ranges from .
Distribution and habitat
The large-spotted civet occurs in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
,
Thailand,
Malaysia,
Cambodia,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
Vietnam and southern
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. In China, it was last sighted in 1998.
It inhabits
evergreen,
deciduous, and dry
dipterocarp forests below elevations of . In Thailand, it occurs in several protected areas as far south as
Ranong Province.
Ecology and behaviour
Data on feeding ecology and behaviour of large-spotted civet do not exist.
Threats
The large-spotted civet is threatened due to
habitat degradation, habitat loss, and
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
with
snares and dogs. The population is thought to have been steadily declining throughout the range countries, and in China and Vietnam in particular may have been reduced significantly.
In Chinese and Vietnamese markets, it is in demand as food.
Taxonomic history
Pocock considered ''V. megaspila'' and
''V. civettina'' to be distinct
species.
[ Ellerman and Morrison-Scott considered ''V. civettina'' a ]subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of ''V. megaspila''.[Ellerman, J.R. and Morrison-Scott, T.C.S. (1966)]
''Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758 to 1946''
Second edition. British Museum of Natural History, London.
References
large-spotted civet
Carnivorans of Asia
Mammals of Southeast Asia
Fauna of Yunnan
Carnivorans of Malaysia
Endangered fauna of Asia
large-spotted civet
large-spotted civet
{{carnivora-stub