Viverridae
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From extant fossil records, evolutionary biologists do assume that sometime during the late Eocene and Oligocene epochs, the modern versions of today's carnivores appeared in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Whereas the small, thin and furry Caniformia carnivores, better known as Mustelids, came to dominate the Northern Hemisphere, the small, thing and furry Feliforma, better known as the Viverrids, came to dominate the Southern Hemisphere.
While carnivore taxonomy periodically changes, today, the IUCN lists thirty-three species of Viverridae, the civets, genets and linsangs.
Geographically the family generally, but not exactly, splits between the tropical and subtropical Southeast Asian Civets, and the African Genet species. Within family diversity means there are a few African civit species, and a species by species presentation would be necessary to differentiate those that lean toward terrestrial versus arboreal lifestyles.
Viverrids are further classified, again generally speaking, as solitary, nocturnal, omnivores, with cat like retractable claws.
Fourteen different genet species inhabit the African continent. All but two, the Common Genet (Genetta genetta) and the Central African Large Spotted Genet (Genetta maculata) have small to very limited ranges. With the exception of a small exotic pet trade, they are not well known in the United States.
From an evolutionary perspective to a shorter time frame perspective, today's Viverridae species have thus far been able to withstand the types of population pressures associated with modernization. The IUCN lists only two species, the Malabar Civet (Viverra civettina) and the Sunda Otter Civet (Cynogale bennettii) as endangered.
Still, because Viverridae are an understudied carnivore family, and the pressures of economic modernization continue to unfold in both Africa and Southeast Asia, today's stories of their survival successes might be replaced by tomorrow's stories of their survival threats.
© 2010. Patricia A. Michaels