Owston's palm civet

The Owston's palm civet was described by Oldfield Thomas in 1912 on the basis of a skull and skin of zoological specimen collected by Alan Owston by a river in Tonkin. Chrotogale is a monospecific genus. == Characteristics ==

The Owston's palm civet has a tawny buff-grey body with highly contrasted black markings on its back and tail, and four bands on its back. These bands run from around the eyes to the first third of the tail. It has large rounded ears and black eyes. is a mid-sized palm civet at plus a tail of , weighing around . The last two-thirds of the tail is completely black, and there are black spots on the legs. Both males and females of this species are very skinny. Since both males and females have the same markings, the only way to distinguish the sexes is through looking at genitalia and pelage. Females have an orange pelage only on their lower bellies, whereas males have an orange patch through the chest, that differs in hue from the ones of females. == Distribution and habitat ==

Owston's palm civet lives in lowland evergreen forests where dry seasons are not too harsh. They live in a restricted range of territory, spanning Vietnam, Laos and a very small portion of southern China, as well as the Annamite mountains. Based on camera trapping studies, it is likely that its range is limited to only certain forests within these regions, the moist tropical evergreen forests, subtropical forests, and limestone forests. == Behavior and ecology ==

Very little is known about the life history of the Owston's palm civet in the wild, though limited information has been gathered on captive animals. It is a solitary species, except during mating season. It is nocturnal, being active only during complete darkness in the wild, but being active from sundown to dawn in captivity. It is mainly terrestrial, spending most of their time foraging on the forest floor, but on occasion, they may climb trees and shrubbery in order to sleep. It marks objects with both urine and scent glands located on their underbellies. This marking occurs most often during breeding season, but the exact reason for marking is unknown. Diet The Owston's Civet spends most of its time foraging on the ground for fruits and soft-bodied animals, with a particular fondness for insects and earthworms. Based on its dentition observed in captivity, it is not able to eat large or bony animals. Reproduction There is no known information about the reproductive habits of this palm civet in the wild. Based on when traders see pregnant females, it is assumed that the mating season is between January and May. In captivity, females give birth to litters of 1-3 cubs after a gestation of 75 to 90 days. Pups are born with their eyes closed and weigh . After about 10 days, they begin to walk, and reach independence at 12 to 18 weeks as they are weaned off their mother. At the age of 18 to 24 months, they are sexually mature and able to reproduce next mating season. == Threats ==

The Owston's palm civet is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, because the population is thought to have declined due to over-exploitation and habitat fragmentation. Most of the hunting in the region occurs within protected areas, where it is illegal to set any type of trap. The urban demand for wild meat lead to an increase of hunting in both protected areas and outside of protected areas. In some areas of Vietnam and Laos, there are hundreds of snares per kilometer. == Conservation ==

In order to help save the Owston's palm civet, protected areas have been created in the Yunnan province. In Vietnam, it is listed in group IIB which means that the exploitation of the Owston's palm civet is regulated but not illegal. In Laos, hunting the Owston's palm civet is prohibited. ==References==