Viverra tangalunga
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Malayan civet (Viverra tangalunga), also known as the Malay civet and Oriental civet, is a viverrid native to the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra, Bangka, Borneo, the Riau Archipelago, and the Philippines. It is listed as "Least Concern" by IUCN as it is a relatively widely distributed, appears to be tolerant of degraded habitats, and occurs in a number of protected areas.
Viverra tangalunga was the scientific name proposed by John Edward Gray in 1832 for a spotted zoological specimen. The Malay civet's tail is black above and ringed on the lower side. The historical range of the Malay civet includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Singapore. In Malaysia, it occurs in Borneo, Banggi Island, Langkawi Island, Penang Island and in Peninsular Malaysia.
It also occurs in Sumatra. It was introduced to Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands. Museum records indicate that the Malay civet also occurred on the Indonesian islands of Java, Bawal and Telok Pai, and on the Philippine island Leyte. In 2012, an individual was photographed in Singapore.
The Malay civet population in the Philippines may have... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife Center | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 2 | Albay Park and Wildlife | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Malay Civet sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 26 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Malay Civet in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against about 20% in November, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Malay Civet sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Malay Civet sightings, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 40%).
Same family: Viverridae
The closest relatives of the Malay Civet that you can see in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (family Viverridae, Civets, Genets, and Oyans) are Common Palm Civet (about 40%), Small-toothed Palm Civet (about 40%) and Banded Civet (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Malay Civet is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (58 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.
