Bioacoustics of Civettictis civetta

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Solitary, although groups consisting of an adult and young have been observed. Terrestrial; they are poor climbers, but are known to clamber along low stout branches to get at ripening fruit. In Ethiopia , a radio-collared sub-adult male had a home range of 11-1 km? the core area was 0-4 km?, centered on Hagenia and Juniper forests. On one occasion, this male was found within 20 meters of a White-tailed Mongoose. African Civets deposit their feces in latrines (civetries); these are usually located along game trails and in clearings and may play a role in marking territories. Some are used frequently and then abandoned for periods of several months. They tend to use the same sites, even when the accumulation of scats is removed. In Zimbabwe , latrines were found in Asparagus thickets, in grassland, and in the cover of dense reed beds. In Zaire, four latrines were separated by several kilometres; each one was used by a single civet. These latrines were in natural hollows in the ground left by uprooted trees (35-65 cm deep and 60-170 cm wide), and all were close to a river (8-30 m). Urine may also play a role in scent marking: captive males have been observed to sniff a female’s urine, which prompted them to flehm. African Civets scent-mark objects with their perineal gland secretion (called civet), both on the ground and on vertical surfaces. In South Africa , they were found to mark trees (50%), rocks (29%), shrubs (19%), and herbs (10%); the mean height of marks above ground was 35 cm . They mark trees and shrubs that bear fruits eaten by them and also at or nearcivetries. Scent marks retain a strong musk odor for one month and are still detectable after four months. To mark a tree, the civet backs up, raises its tail, and presses the everted perineal gland against the trunk. Both sexes scent-mark, but males do it more frequently than females (the perineal gland is larger in the male). Captive females mark horizontal surfaces more than vertical ones; the opposite is true for males. Young animals scent-mark only in the squatting posture, whereas adults only perform the backing-up technique. African Civets do not emit perineal civet when alarmed, but they do sometimes mark when anxious or feeling insecure. Their senses of smell and hearing are acute (particularly for high pitched sounds). When at ease and alert, they move with the head held higher than the shoulder and the legs well extended. When anxious or in fear, they lower their head and flex the legs; the whole body sags, the eyes are narrowed, and the erectile crest is depressed. In a defensive threat, the dorsal crest is erected, the head is directed toward the source of alarm, and the body is turned sideways so that the change in size is visible to the opponent. An appeasement posture has been observed in captive civets and consists of lying down on one side. Although generally silent, several distinct vocalizations have been detected in captive animals: growl (frequently emitted by a female in defense of her kittens); cough-spit (when a terrified civet is approached); and scream (heard during serious fights). There are three different types of meow: a distress meow from kittens; a cat-like meow (made by the female during copulation); and the female sex call (emitted by the female before and during estrus). The most frequent vocalization is the contact call: a short sound, usually repeated three or four times, and sounds like “ha-ha-ha” emitted with the mouth closed.

Breeding. Breeding seems to occur throughout the year in West Africa, but there may be favored breeding seasons in East Africa (March to October) and southern Africa (August to January). Sexual maturity is attained at around twelve months. Females are polyoestrous and can have two or three litters a year; the estrus period appears to last up to six days. Natal den sites are in holes made by other animals or in cavities under tangled roots. Breeding behavior has been observed in captivity. As the female comes into estrus, the male and female became more aggressive, the male gives more contact calls, and both sexes increase their locomotor activity. The male makes several mounting attempts before the female accepts him; she will often move away and sometimes turn to snap at the male. When the female is receptive, she shows this by breaking into a run and inciting the male to pursue her. After several unsuccessful mounting attempts, the female finally lies down (with her hindquarters slightly raised) and permits the male to mount. The male places his forelegs on both sides of the female’s shoulders and makes treading movements with his hindlegs on each side of her flanks. Pelvic thrusting then takes place, during which the male bites the female’s fur between the shoulders. During copulation, the female gives a long meow; the male dismounts after forty seconds. After copulating, each civetlicks its genitals. Copulations take place at night. Gestation is 60 to 81 days. Litter size in captivity ranges from one to four. The young are born with short dark soft fur; the neck stripe is present, but is pale grayish and less conspicuous than in the adult. The facial pattern is indistinct, but the white muzzle marks are present. The perineal gland in the young is genet-like; the pouch is marked by an area of pale hairs, in the center of which the naked lips of the gland are visible. In female young, there is a patch of naked skin around the anus and a hairless isthmus links the lips of the gland. At one month old, the dark hairlines that traverse the adult pocket start to appear. Growth of the pocket conceals the naked lips, which are then only visible when everted. The eyes are open at birth or within the first few days. Newborns can crawl at birth; at five days they can stand on their hindlegs. They start to play at 14 days and to explore outside the den at 17-18 days. The motherlicks her young all over, with special attention to the perineal region, and consumes the urine and feces voided in response to this stimulation. The young are not given the opportunity to urinate independently before they are 25 days old. They are dependant on the mother’s milk for up to six weeks; they usually suckle from the posterior teats and it seems that each young always uses the same one. They start eating solid food in their second month and weaning occurs at around 14 to 16 weeks. In the second month, the young begin to catch insects and at 42 days the mother provides solid food. Mouth suckling (the young lick their mother’s mouth) is exhibited immediately before the mother begins to provide solid food. Weights of young are: 162 g at six days; 440-540 g at 17 days; 480-550 g at 21 days; and 680-810 g at 33 days. During the fifth month, the young begin to mark vertical objects with the backing-up technique, the perineal gland secretion becomes strongly scented, and males first flehm in response to female urine.