Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Viverridae
Subfamily: Viverrinae
Genus: Prionodon
Species: linsang
Western Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The body of the banded linsang is 40 cm long, and the tail is about 34 cm. Banded linsangs are a pale yellow with five dark bands on their backs. They have broad stripes on their necks and their tail consists of seven or eight dark bands with a dark tip on the tail. Banded linsangs have very sharp retractable claws and razor sharp teeth for shearing food. This is the rarest of the civets, and is sometimes referred to as the tiger-civet.
Banded linsangs are omnivorous. Their diet mainly consists of small vertebrates such as squirrels, rats, birds, and lizards.
Very little is known and their reproductive behavior.
Banded linsangs are solitary, sneaky species. The female offspring stay until they reach sexual maturity, while the males leave soon after weaning. Linsangs are semi-arboreal. With long slender bodies and short legs, they are very well adapted for running through trees and jumping between branches. Their long tails aid in balance.
Banded linsangs live in tropical rainforest and spend the majority of their time in the trees.
Status: Threatened
CITES Appendix II.
Hot Links
For more information, contact Small
Carnivore TAG Education Liaison
This page created by Derith Hiers, Pensacola Junior College ZooTech student, Fall 2000