habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
African Civets occupy a wide variety of habitats including secondary forest, woodland, and bush habitats, as well as aquatic environments. They are generally absent from arid regions, with the exception of riverine systems therein.They are apparently uncommon in mature interior forest habitats, but will infiltrate deep forest via logging roads, and in the forests of West and Central Africa, they thrive in degraded and deforested areas, and are regularly encountered near villages (Ray 2013). They are also found on cultivated land, for instance in Gabon (Bahaa-el-din et al. 2013) and Ethiopia (Mateos et al. 2015). In South Africa, they mainly occur in the Savannah Biome but their range includes a small part of the Grassland Biome as well. In the North West Province, camera-trapping studies indicate that they have a predilection for the DwarsbergâSwartruggens Mountain Bushveld vegetation type (Power 2014). Wooded landscapes seem to be more favoured than open grasslands, and riverine areas adequately supported by many tributaries and rocky outcrops are preferred. African Civets generally sleep in dense vegetation during the day (but see Photo 1), such as thickets and stands of long grass, among tangled roots or under logs, as well as in burrows excavated by other animals (Ray 2013).
African Civets are omnivorous and opportunistic foragers (Ray and Sunquist 2001, Bekele et al. 2008b, Amiard 2014), and their diet may include cereals (maize, wheat, barley) and domestic fruits (e.g., bananas, figs, olives; Bekele et al. 2008b). They are avid feeders on toxic millipedes (Smithers and Wilson 1978), and they commonly feed on fruits such as raisin bushes (Grewia spp.) in Alldays area, Limpopo (Amiard 2014). They are thought to play an important role in the dispersal of such fruiting trees.
They are terrestrial, nocturnal and solitary, with the exception of the breeding season when two or more individuals can be seen together. In Ethiopia, in the Bale Mountains National Park, one radio-tracked sub-adult male had a home range of 11.1 km² (Admasu et al. 2004), while in Wondo Genet, one adult male (0.74 km²) and one sub-adult female (0.82 km²) ranged over much smaller areas (Ayalew et al. 2013). The last two individuals moved at an average speed of 326 m / h and travelled between 1.33 and 4.24 km each night. The African Civet characteristically moves slowly, and will often lie down or stand motionless when disturbed (Skinner and Chimimba 2005).
Ecosystem and cultural services: Civet species play an important role in seed dispersal, especially in forests of Asia and probably Africa too (Pendje 1994, but see Abiyu et al. 2015). No research has been carried out so far on the role of African Civets in seed dispersal in South Africa, but it is thought that they play an important role in dispersing seeds of key plant species. Additionally, African Civets have historically been the main animal species from which a musky scent could be extracted and used in perfumery (see Use and Trade).
