# Large Indian civet (*Viverra zibetha*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-indian-civet  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha), also called the Civetcat, is a mammal in the family Viverridae of the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial carnivore with a representative adult body mass of 9.5 kg and up to 10 kg, living in forest and shrubland. Its activity pattern is cathemeral, and its gestation period is 80.3 days, with 2.89 young per litter and 2 litters per year. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.5 kg – 10 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 20 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 21.7 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, shrubland |
| Gestation | 80.3 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.89 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Viverridae
- genus: Viverra
- species: *Viverra zibetha* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Viverra ashtoni*, *Viverra filchneri*, *Viverra tainguensis*, *Viverra zibetha ashtoni*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the large Indian civet?

The large Indian civet is a mammal in the family Viverridae, order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial species.

### How heavy is the large Indian civet?

Its representative adult body mass is 9.5 kg, and the highest value reported by our sources is 10 kg.

### What does the large Indian civet eat?

The large Indian civet is a carnivore.

### What habitats does the large Indian civet live in?

It lives in forest and shrubland.

### Is the large Indian civet endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the large Indian civet live?

Its lifespan is given as 20 years, with a highest reported value of 21.7 years.

### How many young does the large Indian civet have?

It has 2.89 young per litter and 2 litters per year, after a gestation period of 80.3 days.

### Who named the large Indian civet?

Viverra zibetha was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-indian-civet