Summary

The Asian Palm Civet is a small cat-like carnivorous mammal which occurs across a broad geographic area from India and Nepal through Bangladesh and Myanmar to Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is not known where this specimen was collected.

Asian Palm Civets live largely in forests and may be found in gardens and parks with mature fruit trees. They eat fruits, coffee, insects and other small mammals and are an important part of tropical forest ecosystems as they spread seeds from fruit they have eaten and defecated. Coffee beans that have passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet are used to produce Kopi Luwak, or civet coffee (luwak is the Indonesian name for the Asian Palm Civet). This is one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

The wide geographic distribution, range of habitats and large populations of the Asian Palm Civet mean it is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being of Least Concern. However, it is listed in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to aid in controlling trade in some areas of its range.

Specimen Details

Taxonomy

Geospatial Information

  • Precise Location

    Unknown