The Large Indian Civet (Viverra zibetha linn) It is a sturdily built animal with long head, long flattened body, stumpy legs & small rounded feet. An adult Civet measures nearly 4 ft. in length. The general colour is dark hoary grey, frequently washed yellowish or brown. It has vertical crest of long deep black hairs that runs down to the middle of the back. It has a thick tapering tail which is half as long as the size of the body. Its tail is completely ringed with 6 broad black bands. This is a solitary animal. During daytime, it takes shelter in bushes, thick grass or heavy scrub jungle & hunts in the night. Its diet include small animals, birds, snakes, frogs, fishes, crabs, Insects. It is not exclusively carnivorous and equally feeds on fruits & roots.
These large civets are found from Northern India to China through Burma.

The presence of a dorsal crest and absence of long black hairs distinguish this civet from large civet. It is a smaller animal with entire length of 3 ft. of which tail size is 1 ft. This animal weighs from 6-8 lb. The general colour varies from brownish or olive grey to light grey. There are longitudinal dark stripes & rows of spots along the body, a stripe down each side of the neck & frequently one across the throat, its tail is ringed with grey & brown.

The small Indian civet is a shy animal & almost entirely nocturnal in habit. It takes shelter in holes in the ground, under rocks or thick bushes. This animal can easily climb the vertical trees. The major food of this animal is rats, lizards, small birds, insects , fruits & it is very much fond of the berries. The small civet is found in Indian peninsula from Sind, the Punjab and foothills of Himalayas, in south to Ceylon & eastwards to Burma.

The civet is generally known as Toddy cat because of its habit of climbing Palm tree to drink the toddy which flows into jars hung up by toddy collectors. The general colour of its coarse ragged fur is black, blackish or brownish grey, the light grey or brown under fur of the coat, in certain areas of the body. The long hairs of the coat is dark though out, these dark areas with contrast of paler surrounding hairs tend to suggest a pattern of black stripes on the head.
These animal are arboreal and rest by day on the branches of trees or curled up in hole in the trunks. Like other civets, the palm civet feeds on small animals, birds and insects.
Another species of palm civet, the Brown Palm Civet is found in the hills of Southern India. It is different from Common Palm Civet by its rich deep brown colour.
Common Palm Civet are found in Ceylon & practically throughout India.

It is a creature of mountain forest, living & breeding in holes of trees. The Chinese palm civet is distinguished by Common palm civet by certain characters of the skull, its skull is more robust & has a broader waist. It has white whiskers & no suggestion of spots or stripes. In general, its colour rages from grey to tawny & the lower parts are paler or whitish. In India 6 races are recognised, which are different due to variations in area.
Himalayan form of Civet stands 4 ft. & weighs around 11-12 lb. The eating habits of this creature is similar to the other civets. It is perhaps more fruigivorous. But normally, it can eat anything which is killed. The range of this animal extends from the Southern China to Himalayas till as far as Kashmir.