Morphological, Nutritional and Some Behavioral Characteristics of Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) in Captivity

This paper presents the results of monitoring the morphological characteristics and some behavioral habits of the common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) in captivity. In terms of morphology, the civet in captivity also has the typical characteristics of the species as in the wild. The fur is moldy gray or moldy brown, the fur tips are black; along the back, the flanks have dark brown spots or often form three stripes running along the back from the shoulder to the base of the ear. The tail has unclear or black streaks at the base of the tail, the tail tip is usually black, however in some individuals it can be white; the nose, cheeks, ears, lower thighs and four hooves are black; the belly is gray. When the civet is young, the black brown spots are not clear, the fur is rough. As it gets older, the fur becomes smoother and the dark brown spots become clearer. In captivity, the main activities of the civet are moving, eating and resting. The civet is mainly active at night (daytime 233.16 minutes, accounting for 16.20%, nighttime 542.21 minutes, accounting for 40.58%). The average active time is 775.37 minutes, accounting for 56.78% of the total time of 1 day and night, the rest time is 664.63 minutes, accounting for 43.22%. The results of this study contribute to increasing understanding of the species and applying it in effective breeding conditions to conserve this rare animal.