Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
Asian palm civet

Paradoxurus hermaphroditus is found from Kashmir in the west to the Philippines in the east; from southern China and the Himalayas in the north to the Greater Sundas and many lesser Sunda Islands in the south.

Palm civets live in tropical forested habitats.

Palm civets forage exclusively at night. The likelihood of encountering predators during the day may have favored nocturnal foraging behavior. The activity period, from 1800 to 0400, is influenced by daylight. Palm civets become active only after dark and retreat to rest sites just before dawn (Joshi et. al.).

Palm civets choose the tallest and largest trees in the immediate area. P. hermaphroditus exhibits considerable overlap of ranges among conspecifics. Social organization and activity patterns of these civets are shaped by the distribution of food resources and the activities of larger mammalian predators. The palm civet is more arboreal than the large Indian civet. Non-overlapping territories often occur when food resources are evenly distributed, and defense is uneconomical when food resources are superabundant. When foraging in the same area, civets repeatedly used the same resting trees. Resting trees with vines and holes, preferred by the civets, were used for several consecutive days.

Palm civets are primarily frugivorous, feeding on berries and pulpy fruits, including those of Ficus trees and palms. P. hermaphroditus is said to pick its fruit carefully, apparently leaving the less ripe fruit for a later date. Palm civets will eat reptiles, eggs, and insects as well.

Paradoxurus hermaphroditus sometimes feeds on the fruits of coffee trees. The coffee beans (seeds) pass through the digestive tract of these civets whole and are collected by humans for use in coffee. This kind of coffee is sought after for its unusual flavor and for its rarity. It was once a regional specialty but is now marketed in high end coffee markets worldwide.

Palm civets are sometimes considered pests to fruit plantations.

Palm civets disperse the seeds of the trees on which they feed.

Palm civets are persecuted by fruit agriculturalists. Their habitats are also threatened.

There is a lack of research on the species and this in evident in the literature.