Are civet cats and genet cats the same animals?

A medium-sized, short-legged, catlike creature with a ringed-tail is on display in a natural history museum that you are visiting. Unfortunately, it is missing a name tag. A visiting group of students starts debating its identity; some think it is a genet cat, others call it a civet. One student argues that they are the same animal. It makes you wonder—are genets and civets really the same?

Despite the similarity in their appearance, civets and genets are two different animals. They belong to different mammalian genera and have distinct body sizes, builds, habits, and habitats. Telling them apart can be tricky but not impossible, especially once you know what to look for. But before getting into those specifics, here’s a little bit on their backgrounds.

Civets and genets are members of the Viverridae family. Viverrids are slender-bodied animals with a long tail and short legs and are found only in Asia, Africa, and Europe. There are 35 species of viverrids, of which 15 to 20 are civets belonging to 10 to 12 genera, and 14 species are genets belonging to a single genus, Genetta. Although they belong to the same suborder as cats (Feliformia), viverrids diverge from cats in having longer snouts, shorter legs, and a different number of toes on their hind feet (usually five, as opposed to four in cats). The terms civet cat and genet cat are therefore misnomers, as these animals are viverrids rather than true cats.

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Of the two animals, the civet is bigger and stockier and has coarser, fluffier fur. The coats of various civet species are differently colored, but they usually are shades of gray, reddish brown, and black. They are also typically marked with dark blotchy spots and stripes. Most civet species have a thick black stripe that runs along the animal’s spine and extends well into the tail. The long tail typically bears some rings of dark and light colors, but it ends in a solid dark color. Civets are omnivorous, with many species consuming fruits and nectar to meet energy demands. They can be arboreal, semiarboreal, and even semiaquatic. They are important predators and seed dispersers in the ecosystems they inhabit. To humans, this animal’s importance is as the source of civet (an anal gland secretion that is used in perfumeries) and kopi luwak (coffee beans eaten, digested, and defecated by civets in the Philippines and Indonesia).

Genets, on the other hand, are slender animals with an elongated body. They are smaller than civets. The yellowish to grayish coat is usually spotted and striped, but the dorsal stripe on the back extends only to the base of the fluffy tail. The tail is prominently banded, and the rings extend to the tip. The face has prominent black-and-white markings that help genets blend in with their surroundings—an adaptation that supports their nocturnal habits. Barring one species that occurs in western Asia, southern Europe, and Africa, genets are restricted to Africa, where they occur in forests, grasslands, and scrublands. They are primarily carnivorous, but they may occasionally eat fruits, nuts, and seeds. They are agile animals and the only known viverrid that can stand on hind legs! Genets are important predators of pests in the ecosystems where they occur.

Now that you know the difference, can you tell if the displayed animal is a civet or a genet?