Show us your Civets and Genets

[mvecht]

I will start with a Civet at Kwando Lagoon. Most likely a female trying to get away from a male.

Another one at Lagoon

A Civet at Lagoon

Another one at Kwando Lebala

 

 

[JohnR]

Very nice pictures of two of my favourite mammals.

 

I assume you meant to say genets for the second pair of images.

[marg]

Large spotted genet in the Selinda/Linyati area 2010...

[KaingU Lodge]

Wrong post. Sorry!

 

Edited February 13, 2015 by KaingU Lodge

[mvecht]

@@JohnR Thank you. Yes, I meant Genet for the last two pictures.

[JohnR]

...and #3 is a very pretty serval. I've managed to capture none of these small cats at night.

[Tom Kellie]

A Pair of Genets

~ Photographed on 23 July, 2015 at 9:02 pm in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya, with a Sony RX1 R camera.

ISO 640, f/2, 1/80 sec., 35mm focal length, handheld Automatic exposure.

*******************************************************************************************************

My two DSLR cameras have no built-in flash nor have I purchased an attachable flash. The smaller Sony RX1 R camera has a built-in flash which I've almost never used.

After dinner in the Samburu Sopa Lodge open-air dining room, one of the servers, Abdi, kindly informed me that a pair of genets was prowling around beneath the dining area.

After spotting them, I put on the flash, taking this image. It's the only occasion when I ever saw two genets together. They tarried a bit less than two minutes before slipping away into the night.

[Big Andy]

Another one to the collection, Mana Pools Oct 2015.

Canon 5DIII with EF400mm DO lens and 1.4x converter.

1/100 at f5.6 ISO3200 hand held.

 

[Tom Kellie]

Another one to the collection, Mana Pools Oct 2015.

Canon 5DIII with EF400mm DO lens and 1.4x converter.

1/100 at f5.6 ISO3200 hand held.

 

~ @@Big Andy

 

You're spoiling us for choice. That's a superb image!

The eye, nostril, whiskers and ear details are fine.

Thank you for providing the camera setting information.

Highly appreciated!

Tom K.

[johnweir]

Can anyone tell me if this image is a Common Genet (small-spotted) or a Large- Spotted Genet. The image was taken in Tarangire N.P. during a night drive in July 2016. Unfortunately the tip of the tail was not visible, which would have helped. Would greatly appreciate an accurate identification. Thanking someone in anticipation.

[inyathi]

@johnweir My guess would be that it is a common or small-spotted genet (Genetta genetta) I’m not 100% certain but the spots look quite small and it looks quite heavily spotted.

 

Here are a couple of shots of blotched or large-spotted genet (Genetta maculata) in Zakouma National Park in Chad

 

 

 

 

Although the spots on this genet do look quite different, I’m sure there are individuals of each species that look similar enough that it’s hard to tell them apart for sure if you’re not an expert. Both species have huge ranges so there’s presumably considerable variation.

Edited December 21, 2018 by inyathi

[johnweir]

Thank you very much for your considered opinion. The blotches are certainly smaller and more numerous than on the specimen you photographed. Your images are great and what an unusual location. I photographed another genet in Ruaha a few days later, that clearly had a white tip to its tail so feel fairly confident it was Genetta genetta. I like to try and keep my sightings records accurate, so thanks again. John W.

[inyathi]

@johnweir Zakouma NP is a little of the beaten track and very pricey if you want to do a proper safari in comfort staying at Camp Nomade. However for small nocturnal carnivores the night drives in this extraordinary park can’t be beaten. The wildlife in the daytime is nothing short of amazing. Chad is a country that unfortunately the FCO would advise you not to visit; however at least in the case of Zakouma NP this advice can be safely ignored. I have had the privilege of visiting twice and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend visiting Zakouma to anyone who can afford it. Various safari/travel companies now offer Zakouma safaris, notably Passage to Africa, Steppes Travel, Natural High Safaris, Origins Safaris and I am sure a few others that I am not aware of. Here are the trip reports for my second Zakouma safari

 

Zakouma Returning to Wildest Africa in Style

 

I have seen African civets quite a few times in various places but not I think quite as often as in Zakouma, that may in part simple be because on my last visit we went on a night drive almost every night. Many parks I’ve been to in East Africa don’t or didn’t offer night drives when I visited which limits your chances of seeing civets.

 

 

 

Occasionally if you’re lucky you may get to see one in the daytime, this one by the Bahr Dikere in Zakouma was very skinny and didn’t look at all healthy.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by inyathi

[johnweir]

Thanks for posting the African civet images, very high quality again - beautiful animal. Saw a couple in Ruaha this year during a night drive. I get as much pleasure from seeing the smaller nocturnal mammals as the more 'sexy' diurnal ones. Your two articles on Zakouma are fantastic, very well written and highly informative. They would grace any quality travel magazine worldwide. Is there an additional article which I can access on the species you observed during your trips? Have added Zakouma to my wish list although already committed to Namibia for 2017. Re-watched the NG Extraordinary Africa episode on Zakouma. (S1, ep 3.), appears to be a park very much on the up, possibly with the exception of the significant drop in elephant numbers which do appear to have hopefully stabilised. Thanks again for replying to my original request for information and posting so much more.

[KiwiGran]

 

 

Taken 4/6/16 while on safari with Tydon Safaris on Umkumbe land. Not sure which species of genet. Taken with my point and shoot Canon Powershot SX170

[johnweir]

Fantastic image. Becoming more confident on my identification of the different genet species now thanks to inyathi. Would suggest yours is a large-spotted genet (Genetta maculata), based on the size of the body blotches and black tip to the tail. Will now familiarise myself with the exact location of Umkumbe land. Thanks for posting all adds to the debate. JW.

[KiwiGran]

@@johnweir

Many thanks for the identification and information on the colouring of the tip of the tail. Our night drives also yielded a great sighting of a civet that we followed for some time but my photos werent very good. It was sad to see how dry it was due to the drought but it did make for good sightings of the smaller animals that usually disappear into the vegetation.

[pault]

@@johnweir If you're anything like me all that confidence will drain right out of you as soon as you see one out in the bush. At least there is the nice, easy "genet" fallback.