Hello everyone and welcome to the latest feature on
the threatened wildlife of Southeast Asia. Last time we took a look at the
beautiful Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus, on this occasion our
attention turns to another of Southeast Asia's threatened species, the Owston's
Civet, Chrotogale owstoni. Once again we hope you enjoy learning about
the incredible wildlife this part of the world has to offer.
Ecology
The Owston’s Civet Chrotogale owstoni prefer densely vegetated, broad leaf
habitats. These evergreen forests are almost always situated in the vicinity of
lowland water sources (Nowak 1999, Schreiber 1989).
The species is thought to live a largely terrestrial lifestyle (Adams 2002). They are also known to sleep, rest and to some extent search for their food in the trees (Roberton et al 2003).
The Owston's Civet is omnivorous (Shaldon Wildlife Trust no date), with its diet ranging from earthworms, which would appear to form a large proportion of its diet (Adams 2002), through to fish, frogs and fruit (Shaldon Wildlife Trust no date).
Local hunters believe individuals may have approached locals’ homes to consume kitchen waste, this suggests they may be capable of surviving in the vicinity of villages (Nowak 1999, Schreiber 1989).
The species is thought to live a largely terrestrial lifestyle (Adams 2002). They are also known to sleep, rest and to some extent search for their food in the trees (Roberton et al 2003).
The Owston's Civet is omnivorous (Shaldon Wildlife Trust no date), with its diet ranging from earthworms, which would appear to form a large proportion of its diet (Adams 2002), through to fish, frogs and fruit (Shaldon Wildlife Trust no date).
Local hunters believe individuals may have approached locals’ homes to consume kitchen waste, this suggests they may be capable of surviving in the vicinity of villages (Nowak 1999, Schreiber 1989).
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(waza.org, no date).
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Range.
The Owston's Civet, Chrotogale owstoni,
inhabits North and Central Lao PDR (Duckworth et al 1999, Johnson et
al 2004) as well as Northern Vietnam, Northern Laos, and the Chinese
provinces of Southwest Guangxi and Southern Yunnan (Schreiber 1989).
The population of the species throughout its range has been severely depleted as a result of overexploitation, habitat destruction and degradation. It has been estimated that over the past 15 years the decline has been as steep as 30 %. Because they spend a large part of their lives on the forest floor they unknowingly put themselves at greater risk from human interference and persecution (IUCN 2008).
The population of the species throughout its range has been severely depleted as a result of overexploitation, habitat destruction and degradation. It has been estimated that over the past 15 years the decline has been as steep as 30 %. Because they spend a large part of their lives on the forest floor they unknowingly put themselves at greater risk from human interference and persecution (IUCN 2008).
Click on the link below to see a full map of the Owston’s Civet’s Chrotogale owstoni range.
(IUCN 2008)
Biology.
The Owson's Civet Chrotogale owstoni has a head to body length ranging
from 56-72 cm, and its tail alone can range from 35 -47 cm in length (Vernon
2007).
The adult body weight of the species ranges from 2- 3 kg (Adams 2002).
Due to mainly captive based research it has been established that the main breeding months for the species would seem to be between January and March, however reports have recorded the breeding season lasting as long as November (Nowak 1999).
This Civet, like almost all mammals, is viviparous, meaning the young develop inside the female and continue to gain nourishment until they are ready to be born (britannica.com 2013).
It is thought the gestation period for the Owston's Civet Chrotogale owstoni is 60 days at the end of which the female gives birth to up to 3 young, possibly twice a year. These young will typically weigh between 75 -88 grams (Nowak 1999).
This Civet is believed to use scent marking to delineate its territory (Roberton et al 2003).
The scent is released through the genital/anal glands; it is thought that strong, unpleasant smell may also act as an anti-predation adaption, warning potential predators of its toxicity (Nowak 1999).
The long snout of the Owston's Civet Chrotogale owstoni is one of its primary hunting adaptions. Using it to forage along the forest floor unearthing potential prey amongst the foliage they will also use their forepaws to scratch and search for food ( Grzimek 1990, Kanchanasakha et al 1998).
The adult body weight of the species ranges from 2- 3 kg (Adams 2002).
Due to mainly captive based research it has been established that the main breeding months for the species would seem to be between January and March, however reports have recorded the breeding season lasting as long as November (Nowak 1999).
This Civet, like almost all mammals, is viviparous, meaning the young develop inside the female and continue to gain nourishment until they are ready to be born (britannica.com 2013).
It is thought the gestation period for the Owston's Civet Chrotogale owstoni is 60 days at the end of which the female gives birth to up to 3 young, possibly twice a year. These young will typically weigh between 75 -88 grams (Nowak 1999).
This Civet is believed to use scent marking to delineate its territory (Roberton et al 2003).
The scent is released through the genital/anal glands; it is thought that strong, unpleasant smell may also act as an anti-predation adaption, warning potential predators of its toxicity (Nowak 1999).
The long snout of the Owston's Civet Chrotogale owstoni is one of its primary hunting adaptions. Using it to forage along the forest floor unearthing potential prey amongst the foliage they will also use their forepaws to scratch and search for food ( Grzimek 1990, Kanchanasakha et al 1998).
( Newquay Zoo 2013).
Behaviour.
The Owston's Civet Chrotogale owstoni is
a nocturnal forager and it is thought to live a mainly solitary existence in
the wild (Nowak 1999).
Captive individuals, both males and females however, will happily co-exist in their enclosures with no aggression shown to each other even when another new individual is introduced into the group (Nowak 1999).
They will create dens to sleep in which may be under large tree trunks, thick vegetation or alternatively they may choose to use natural tree holes or rocks (Nowak 1999).
As previously mentioned the Owston's Civet Chrotogale owstoni will use their scent glands to act as a warning to predators, it is thought these serve as an indicator of their toxicity (Nowak 1999).
Although they primarily feed on the forest floor searching for predominately earthworms it has also been recorded searching for food in the trees as well (Grzimec 1990).
Leaving its den at dusk, the civet will return to the safety of its den in the early hours of the morning (Nowak 1999).
Captive individuals, both males and females however, will happily co-exist in their enclosures with no aggression shown to each other even when another new individual is introduced into the group (Nowak 1999).
They will create dens to sleep in which may be under large tree trunks, thick vegetation or alternatively they may choose to use natural tree holes or rocks (Nowak 1999).
As previously mentioned the Owston's Civet Chrotogale owstoni will use their scent glands to act as a warning to predators, it is thought these serve as an indicator of their toxicity (Nowak 1999).
Although they primarily feed on the forest floor searching for predominately earthworms it has also been recorded searching for food in the trees as well (Grzimec 1990).
Leaving its den at dusk, the civet will return to the safety of its den in the early hours of the morning (Nowak 1999).
And that concludes our
introduction to possibly one of Southeast Asia’s most secretive animals. I hope
this edition to the series has been of interest, these animals certainly
fascinate me. Next time we take a look in detail at the problems facing this
strikingly animal and what can be done to try and help ensure its future is
secure for many generations to come. As we will discover humans have had a
major impact on the decline of the species, it is surely up to us to right the
wrongs and help the species in desperate need of intervention.
Keep an eye out for
the next issue!
References.
Adams, R. 2002.
"Chrotogale owstoni" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Chrotogale_owstoni/.
Britannica.com,2013.
Available at : http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/631443/viviparity.
D.M. Johnson, O.N.
Bjørnstad & A.M. Liebhold 2004.: Landscape geometry and travelling waves in
the larch budmoth.
Duckworth, J. W.,
Salter, R. E. and Khounbline, K. 1999. Wildlife in Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report.
IUCN, Vientiane, Laos.
Grzimek B,. 1990.
Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: McGraw-Hill.
IUCNredlist.org, 2008.
Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/biblio/4806/0
KanchanasakhaB., S.
Simcharoen U. Than. 1998. Carnivores of Mainland South-East Asia. Bangkok:
Endangered Species Unit, WWF-Thailand Project Office.
Nowak, R. 1999.
Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th ed. v.1. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins
University Press.
Roberton, S.,
Rosenthal, S. and Muir, S. 2003 Management Guidelines for Owston’s Civet,
Chrotologale owstoni. Owston’s Civet Conservation Program, UK and Vietnam.
Schreiber, A. 1989.
Weasels, Civets, Mongooses, and Their Relatives : an action plan for the
conservation of mustelids and viverrids. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Shaldonwildlifetrust
.org. Available at .http://www.shaldonwildlifetrust.org.uk/who/mammals/who1_38.asp.
Veron G,. 2007.Pers.
comm.
Waza.org,no
date. Available athttp://www.waza.org/en/site/site-search.
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