Nandinia binotata
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~80%
The African palm civet (Nandinia binotata), also known as the two-spotted palm civet, is a small feliform mammal widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List. It is the sole member of the superfamily Nandinioidea and the most genetically isolated carnivoran.
The African palm civet is grey to dark brown with dark spots on the back. It has short legs, small ears, a lean body, and a long, ringed tail. It has two sets of scent glands on the lower abdomen and between the third and fourth toes on each foot, which secrete a strong-smelling substance used to mark territory and in mating. Adult females reach a body length of 37–61 cm (15–24 in) with a 34–70 cm (13–28 in) long tail and weigh 1.2–2.7 kg (2.6–6.0 lb). Adult males reach 39.8–62.5 cm (15.7–24.6 in) in body length with a 43–76.2 cm (16.9–30.0 in) long tail and weigh 1.3–3 kg (2.9–6.6 lb).
The African palm civet's ear canal is not divided and cartilaginous at the end. The African palm civet ranges throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa from Guinea to South Sudan, south to Angola, and into eastern Zimbabwe. It has been recorded in deciduous...
Uncertain0:20
Central African Republic · 2025
© Antoine Ede, Dzanga-Sangha protected Areas · XC1052405 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Call0:12
Ivory Coast · 2023
© Étienne Leroy · XC960204 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:03
Congo - Kinshasa · 2026
© Daniel Alempijevic · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | |
| 2 | Chinko Conservation Area | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | |
| 3 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poznań Nowe Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Palm-civet sighting in Chinko Conservation Area on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 53 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an African Palm-civet in Chinko Conservation Area on a given day, against under 5% in May–August and October, the lowest months. That is one of Chinko Conservation Area's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 180 mm in August.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Palm-civet sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate African Palm-civet sightings, Chinko Conservation Area ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Taï National Park (Ivory Coast, about 40%).
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the African Palm-civet that you can see in Chinko Conservation Area (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are Leopard (about 60%), Spotted Hyena (about 60%) and African Civet (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Palm-civet is recorded against all the mammals logged in Chinko Conservation Area (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
