Giant Civet
Encyclopedia
The Sulawesi Palm Civet (Macrogalidia musschenbroekii), also known as the Sulawesi Giant Civet, the Giant Civet and the Celebes Palm Civet, is a large and little known species of carnivore
endemic to the Indonesia
n island of Sulawesi
, where it is found particularly in the North and Central regions. It is the largest predatory mammal in Sulawesi's forests.
The Sulawesi Palm Civet is a fairly large palm civet at 5 kg (11 lb) and 69 cm (27 in) in body length, plus a tail of 49 cm (19 in). It is tan or tawny with lighter underside and some light spots. Its p feet are very large and can be used to grasp which is helpful in climbing as the animal often climbs trees to prey upon the Sulawesi Hornbill
and other smaller animals - however, despite it's carnivorous ancestry, this species is an omnivore
and its predominant diet is fruit.
This animal, and all civets and palm civets, are sometimes called civet cats or genet cats, but, although they are in the same half of the Carnivora
order
as cats, they are not members of the cat family Felidae
. It is the only member of the genus Macrogalidia.
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
endemic to the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n island of Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, where it is found particularly in the North and Central regions. It is the largest predatory mammal in Sulawesi's forests.
The Sulawesi Palm Civet is a fairly large palm civet at 5 kg (11 lb) and 69 cm (27 in) in body length, plus a tail of 49 cm (19 in). It is tan or tawny with lighter underside and some light spots. Its p feet are very large and can be used to grasp which is helpful in climbing as the animal often climbs trees to prey upon the Sulawesi Hornbill
Sulawesi Hornbill
The Sulawesi Hornbill , also known as the Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill, Temminck's Hornbill or Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, is a relatively small, approximately 45 cm long, black hornbill. The male has a yellow face and throat, and black-marked yellowish-horn bill...
and other smaller animals - however, despite it's carnivorous ancestry, this species is an omnivore
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
and its predominant diet is fruit.
This animal, and all civets and palm civets, are sometimes called civet cats or genet cats, but, although they are in the same half of the Carnivora
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
as cats, they are not members of the cat family Felidae
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
. It is the only member of the genus Macrogalidia.
External links
- http://arcbc.org/cgi-bin/abiss.exe/spd?SID=587127028&spd=14358&sub=0&tx=MA
- http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20030204.Q04
- http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=105