Nandinia binotata
African palm civet

The species is common in most forested areas of East Africa.

Civets are most common in forest areas of Eastern Africa. They will occasionally wander out of the forest to search for food. The typical shelter is a tree, where they spend most of their time.

The Palm Civet is a very inconspicuous animal. The coarse, cryptically colored coat is blotched and mottled and blends with the rough bark of trees and the shadows cast by leaves. The eyes are yellow-green and the pupils close to a vertical hairline. The well muscled and sturdy tail, which is usually as long as the body, is employed as a brace when the forepaws are being used for prey. All four limbs are powerful. They exhibit highly flexible joints bound with thick sheets of connective tissue. The toes and palms of the feet have pink naked pads and an area of very thick skin, which acts as friction pad whenever the hindlimbs take weight of the body. It is a small animal with short legs, small ears, and a body resembling a cat.

This animal is predominantly solitary. It is active from dusk for about four hours, and then for a few hours before dawn. The only time civets accompany each other is when the female has young. The young follow the mother very closely until they approach adult size. There are records of adult male and female pairs, but this is unlikely to be a lasting bond. There have been sightings of approximately 12 to 15 individuals attracted to small areas of forest where fruit trees were abundant, but these appear to be temporary aggregations. This animal produces numerous smells and secretions that are used for a variety of purposes. Between the third and fourth toes of each foot there is a glandular pocket that can scent the trail. Along the midline of the lower abdomen is a narrow slit that opens up to reveal an area of glandular skin. This area produces a strong-scented brown secretion.

Rodents, insects, eggs, carrion, pineapples, fallen fruit, birds and fruit bats are part of the diet. While the Palm Civet has truly omnivorous tastes, it does not hunt prey such as adult birds and mammals when they are active. Instead, it visits roosts and hen yards to get an easy kill. Such things as rodents, insects, and fallen fruit are sought on level ground. The animal also travels a good distance out of the forest in search of food. They hold their food with the forepaws, and when in branches they twist their hindfeet about in a variety of positions in order to get a stable base so the forearms may be used to manipulate food. Living prey is held fast and killed with a series of fast, deadly bites; small mammals and birds are swallowed whole. Even though these animals do eat meat, they are omnivorous and their most common source of food is fruit.

Civets commonly raid chicken/turkey coops. This has caused many problems for farmers because palm civets are very persistent and they are abundant.

There is no recent reports of hunting or eating this animal, but this used to be popular in Bugisu.

A great number of these animals inhabit Africa and they seem not threatened in any way.