What is a Civet?

The Civet is a long-tailed nocturnal mammal that is relatively small and quite furry.

The indigenous Malayalam people in southern India in the state of Kerala call the Asian Palm Civet Marapatti, which means “tree dog” or “wood dog.” In other areas of India the Civet is known as the Luwak.

In the Ilocano language spoken in the Gran Cordillera Central mountains in the northern Philippines the Civet is known as Motit. In other areas of the Philippines the Civet is called either Musang or, in the Filipino language, Alamid.

The Civet is known as Maranai, or “Tree dog” in the India in the Tamil language, and known as Maranai in India, and in Sri Lanka in the Sinhala language the Civet is known as Uguduwa.