Civettictis civetta
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The African civet (Civettictis civetta) is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands and secondary forests. It has been listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008. In some countries, it is threatened by hunting, and wild-caught individuals are kept for producing civetone for the perfume industry.
The African civet is primarily nocturnal and spends the day sleeping in dense vegetation, but wakes up at sunset. It is a solitary mammal with a unique coloration: the black and white blotches covering its coarse pelage and rings on the tail are an effective cryptic pattern. The black bands surrounding its eyes closely resemble those of the raccoon. Other distinguishing features are its disproportionately large hindquarters and its erectile dorsal crest. It is an omnivorous generalist, preying on small vertebrates, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and vegetable matter. It is one of the few carnivores capable of eating toxic invertebrates such as termites and millipedes. It detects prey primarily by smell and sound rather than by sight. It is the only living member of the genus Civettictis. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 3 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 5 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 6 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dvůr Králové Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Johannesburg Zoo | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | LUFASI Nature Park | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 4 | Abidjan zoo | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | |
| 5 | Safari North Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Kumasi Zoo | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 7 | Tbilisi Zoo | 🇬🇪 Georgia | |
| 8 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Civet sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 35 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Civet in Chobe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, the lowest months. That is one of Chobe National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Civet sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate African Civet sightings, Chobe National Park ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 40%), Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 30%) and South Luangwa National Park (Zambia, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Civet is recorded against all the mammals logged in Chobe National Park (5 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.
