The subfamily Viverrinae is the largest of the four subfamilies within the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Viverridae, containing the genets

Genet (animal)

Genets are Old World mammals from the order Carnivora, family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. All species are contained within the genus Genetta, although the Aquatic Genet is sometimes housed in its own genus Osbornictis....

, some of the Asian civet

Civet

The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....

s, and the two African linsang

African linsang

The African linsangs also known as Oyans are two species classified in the mammalian subfamily Viverrinae, in the family Viverridae. There is one genus, Poiana....

s for a total of 22 species, comprising two-thirds of the Viverrids.

Most of the members of Viverrinae live exclusively in Africa, the exceptions being the Common Genet

Common Genet

The Common Genet , also known as the Small-spotted Genet or European Genet, is a mammal from the order Carnivora, related to civets and linsangs. The most far-ranging of all the fourteen species of genet, it can be found throughout Africa, parts of the Middle East, and in Europe in Spain, Portugal,...

, which is also common in Europe, and the five civets of the Viverra

Viverra

Viverra is a genus of civet commonly found in Southeast Asia.-Species:* Malabar Large-spotted Civet * Large-spotted Civet * Malayan Civet * Large Indian Civet...

 and Viverricula genera, which live in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. Favoured habitats include woodland, savanna, mountains, and tropical rainforest

Tropical rainforest

A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...

.

Characteristics

Viverrids are amongst the primitive families 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...

, with skeletons very similar to those of fossils dating back to the Eocene

Eocene

The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...

, up to 50 million years ago. They are variable in form, but generally resemble long-nosed cats. Most have retractile or partially-retractile claw

Claw

A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...

s, a baculum

Baculum

The baculum is a bone found in the penis of most mammals. It is absent in humans, but present in other primates, such as the gorilla and chimpanzee.The bone aids in sexual intercourse.-Purpose:...

, and an anal scent gland

Scent gland

Scent glands are found in the genital area of most mammals and in various other parts of the body, such as the underarms of humans and the preorbital glands of deer and muskox. They produce a semi-viscous fluid which contains pheromones. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status,...

.

The Viverrinae range in size from the African Linsang

African Linsang

The African Linsang is a species of linsang in the family Viverridae. It is endemic to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo. The African linsang is a largely arboreal creature...

 with a body length of 33 cm (13 in), and a weight of 650 g (1.4 lb), to the African Civet

African Civet

The African Civet is the largest representative of the African Viverridae. It is the sole member of its genus. African Civets can be found from coast to coast across sub-Saharan Africa. They are primarily nocturnal and spend the day sleeping in dense vegetation...

 at 84 cm (33.1 in) and 18 kg (39.7 lb).

They are nocturnal animals, with excellent hearing and vision. They are generally solitary. Despite their placement in the order Carnivora, they are omnivorous. In reflection of this, their flesh-shearing carnassial

Carnassial

Carnassials are large teeth found in many carnivorous mammals, used for shearing flesh and bone in a scissor- or shear-like way. In the Carnivora, the carnassials are the modified last upper premolar and the first molar, but in the prehistoric creodonts, the carnassials were further back in the...

 teeth are relatively undeveloped . The usual dental formula

Dentition

Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...

 is:

Classification

It seems likely that the African linsangs are fairly closely related to the genets, though the placement of these groups in relation to the Viverrinae civets is uncertain.

Species

• Subfamily Viverrinae
  • Genus Civettictis
    • African Civet
      African Civet
      The African Civet is the largest representative of the African Viverridae. It is the sole member of its genus. African Civets can be found from coast to coast across sub-Saharan Africa. They are primarily nocturnal and spend the day sleeping in dense vegetation...
      
       (Civettictis civetta)
  • Genus Genetta
    • Abyssinian Genet
      Abyssinian Genet
      The Abyssinian Genet is a species of genet. It is native to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and Djibouti, and inhabits moorland, grasslands and sub-desert areas. The Abyssinian genet is rated "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List. There are no subspecies of the Abyssinian genet....
      
       (Genetta abyssinica)
    • Angolan Genet
      Angolan Genet
      The Angolan Genet , is a mammal from the Carnivora order, related to civets and linsangs. It is one of fourteen species of genets...
      
       (Genetta angolensis)
    • Bourlon's Genet
      Bourlon's Genet
      The Bourlon's Genet is a a mammal from the Carnivora order, one of fourteen species of genets. It is found in rainforest habitat in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone....
      
       (Genetta bourloni)
    • Crested Servaline Genet (Genetta cristata)
    • Common Genet
      Common Genet
      The Common Genet , also known as the Small-spotted Genet or European Genet, is a mammal from the order Carnivora, related to civets and linsangs. The most far-ranging of all the fourteen species of genet, it can be found throughout Africa, parts of the Middle East, and in Europe in Spain, Portugal,...
      
       (Genetta genetta)
    • Johnston's Genet
      Johnston's Genet
      Johnston's Genet is a mammal from the Carnivora order, related to civets and linsangs in the family Viverridae. It is native to the African countries of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Liberia...
      
       (Genetta johnstoni)
    • Rusty-spotted Genet (Genetta maculata)
    • Pardine Genet
      Pardine Genet
      The Pardine Genet , is a mammal from the Carnivora order that is related to linsangs and civets. It is found in a wide range of habitats in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone....
      
       (Genetta pardina)
    • Aquatic Genet
      Aquatic Genet
      The Aquatic Genet is a carnivoran mammal from the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Aquatic Genet is related to civets and linsangs. Unlike other genets who have handsomely spotted coats and ringed tails, the Aquatic Genet has a plain, rusty-coloured coat and a black tail,...
      
       (Genetta piscivora)
    • King Genet
      King Genet
      The King genet is a species of carnivorous mammal of the family Viverridae. It is distributed within west central Africa, close to the equator, and is native to the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. The King genet is often considered to be conspecific...
      
       (Genetta poensis)
    • Servaline Genet
      Servaline Genet
      The Servaline Genet is a species of carnivore of the family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. Like all genets, it is outwardly feline, although not a close relative of the cat family.- Subspecies :...
      
       (Genetta servalina)
    • Haussa Genet
      Haussa Genet
      The Haussa Genet , also known as Thierry's Genet, is a carnivoran mammal, related to linsangs and civets. It lives in the savannah zone of Africa from Senegal to area south of Lake Chad....
      
       (Genetta thierryi)
    • Cape Genet
      Cape Genet
      The Cape Genet , also known as the Blotched Genet, Large-spotted Genet or muskeljaatkat in Afrikaans, is a carnivore mammal, related to the African Linsang and to the civets. It can be found in Africa from Senegal to Somalia, and south to Namibia and South Africa, though it is absent from the...
      
       (Genetta tigrina)
    • Giant Forest Genet (Genetta victoriae)
  • Genus Poiana
    • Leighton's Linsang
      Leighton's Linsang
      Leighton's Linsang was formerly classified as Poiana richardsonii liberiensis and considered a subspecies of the African Linsang....
      
       (Poiana leightoni)
    • African Linsang
      African Linsang
      The African Linsang is a species of linsang in the family Viverridae. It is endemic to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo. The African linsang is a largely arboreal creature...
      
       (Poiana richardsonii)
  • Genus Viverra
    Viverra
    Viverra is a genus of civet commonly found in Southeast Asia.-Species:* Malabar Large-spotted Civet * Large-spotted Civet * Malayan Civet * Large Indian Civet...
    
    
    • Malabar Large-spotted Civet (Viverra civettina)
    • Large-spotted Civet
      Large-spotted Civet
      The Large-spotted Civet is a species of civet. It is found in Asia. The rare Malabar large-spotted civet is usually considered a subspecies....
      
       (Viverra megaspila)
    • Malayan Civet (Viverra tangalunga)
    • Large Indian Civet
      Large Indian Civet
      The Large Indian Civet is a member of the Viverrid family native to Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the species as Near Threatened, mainly because of the known heavy trade as wild meat.- Characteristics :...
      
       (Viverra zibetha)
  • Genus Viverricula
    • Small Indian Civet
      Small Indian Civet
      The Small Indian Civet or Rasse is a species of civet found across south and South-east Asia as well as in the Indonesian archipelago. The Assamese name Johamaal refers to its glandular odour similar to a scented rice variety called Joha...
      
      (Viverricula indica)