Viverricula indica

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Solitary, single individuals have been observed in the field and recorded by camera-traps. Terrestrial, but is said to climb well. In southeastern China, the resting home range of a male was 2 - 3 km *. The mean distance moved between consecutively used daybeds was 613 m. In Thailand, the home range of a male was 3 - 1 km? ®; his core home range was 1 - 1 km? and the mean daily movement was 500 m. In India (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve), the home range of a male was 2 - 2 km? the distance between successive daytime locations ranged from 193 m in September to 2260 m in October. In Myanmar, the mean distance moved between consecutive resting sites was 214 m. Scent marking activity, using the secretions from the perineal gland, occurs in both sexes, but is more frequent in males. They mark any object, but vertical objects seem to be preferred. Scent marking varies between days and season. In captivity, it occurs mainly at night, with three peaks at 18: 00 - 19: 00 h, 21: 00 - 23: 00 h, and before dawn. Scent marking is more common in the spring, during the breeding season. Vocal communication in captive civets includes: a scream (given by the female during fights with a male); threat calling (given under stress and when an animal is terrified); courtship calling, “ da da da ” (given by the male as an estrus female approaches).

Sumber: Viverridae

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Small Indian Civet is considered unthreatened due to its widespread distribution and generalist habitat and food preferences. However, it is not fully understood how habitat disturbance may affect this species, and more ecological studies are needed. Small Indian Civets are hunted for their meat and scent, and are particularly vulnerable to snare trapping. They are also farmed in India to extract their perineal gland secretion for medicinal purposes. These farmed civets are not captive-bred, but are trapped in the wild, and this could be causing declines in local populations. Field surveys are needed to monitor populations, especially in areas where their numbers may be depressed due to high trapping pressures.

Sumber: Viverridae