A civet that uses woodland, grassland and areas near people.
Small dark spots mark the body and form stripes along the back. The tail has black-and-white rings.
Researchers compared small Indian and Asian palm civets near Pir Lasura National Park, Pakistan. Thirty camera sites were surveyed in 2018–2021. Small Indian civets were detected 1,321 times at 11 sites, versus 98 detections at seven sites for Asian palm civets. Activity peaked at 2–5 a.m. for small Indian civets and 7 p.m.–1 a.m. for Asian palm civets. The species overlapped little in site use and activity time.
Researchers found 17 food types in 44 small Indian civet scats: eight plant and nine animal species. Wild Himalayan pear appeared most often; domestic chicken was also recorded. The civets’ diets overlapped strongly despite differences in where and when they were active. The authors suggest these differences may help the species coexist, but this one-area study cannot show why.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern (LC) · Global (Viverricula indica)
The IUCN global assessment lists the Small Indian Civet as Least Concern (LC); the latest assessment record is from 2024. Its assessment cites the species’ broad range, use of varied habitats including altered landscapes, and healthy populations in agricultural and secondary landscapes in many range states.