I've been toggling this around in my head for a bit...and you know, I should really focus on animals once in awhile and be true to my screen name, eh?  So I think I'll try starting a series or something...hence the number 1 in the title.  I'm going to give this a shot and see how it turns out, maybe make some adjustments later down the road.  Well, let's give it a shot.

Today's animal is the Common Palm Civet (AKA Musang, Toddy cat, Luwak) Paradoxurus hermaphroditus

It is from the family Viverridae which includes genets, linsangs, and binturongs(AKA bearcats)

Adorable?  Nay, for this is a fearsome beast.  They can be quite temperamental, easily comparable to our North American raccoon friend.

Physical characteristics:

They are around 9lbs (~4kg) and are about 4ft (~1.2m) long including the tail which makes up half their length.  The tail is also semi prehensile which allows the civet to use it for balance.  The coat is coarse, shaggy, and normally brown or gray. Depending on the civet species can have spots or stripes.  Both males and females have a large anal scent gland which resembles testicles somewhat, and explains the hermaphroditus portion of their scientific name.

Habitat:

It lives in Southeast Asian forests and woodlands.  It can also coexist with humans quite readily, living in plantations and in urban centers taking advantage of human presence.  Again, much like a raccoon.

Diet:

Omnivorous.  It is classified as a carnivore but most of it's diet is made up of fruits and plants.  Insects, rodents, and other small vertebrates make up it's carnivorous diet.  Fruits include chiku, mango, banana, and rambutan, coffee fruit, as well as the horrible smelling durian.  It also has a fondness for palm sap, which when fermented becomes toddy, a sweet liquor, hence the common name, "toddy cat."

Behavior:

Nocturnal and arboreal. Quite opportunistic.  It will hunt in areas of human habitation eating pest species and will also take advantage of human leftovers.  It primarily stays in trees to feed, live, sleep, and reproduce.  It can be very aggressive when threatened exhibiting hissing and spitting behavior like a cat. Normally solitary, except during mating and the subsequent raising of young by the mother.  Not much is known about their reproductive habits, but it is thought that a female can give birth to 3-4 young per litter.  Young reach maturity in about a year.  The oldest civet recorded lived to be 22 years old.

Interesting facts:

They were captured to harvest musk from that scent gland they have for perfumes and such.  However, that has dropped off due to synthetic scents and enforced humane practices.

The Palm Civet was suspected of causing the SARS outbreak.  Bats carrying the SARS disease are often stored in markets over civets.  The guano the was thought to infect them, and the problem is that people eat civets.  It is thought that when butchering one someone was infected via the blood of a civet and started that whole fiasco.

A less depressing, but probably more disgusting(depending on your tastes) fact is Kopi Luwak coffee.  Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world selling between $120-$600 USD per pound.  What does a civet have to do with expensive coffee?  Everything.

The coffee is raised on plantations in Southeast Asia.  Coffee produces fruit, civets eat fruit but they don't digest coffee beans, and they literally shit money.  Farmers in the area collect civet droppings, hopefully wash the coffee beans off and sell it.  Neat, huh?

It's good to the last dropping.

Also, I got to pet a palm civet when the zoo visited my school last Tuesday. 

~Zoo