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Paguma larvata ( Masked palm civet)
Venue: Himalayan Zoological Park, Gangtok, East Sikkim
Date: June 28, 2014
Pic: Shital Pradhan
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Scientific
classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Viverridae
Subfamily: Paradoxurinae
Genus: Paguma
Species: P. larvata
Binomial name: Paguma larvata (Hamilton-Smith,
1827)
Other Names: masked palm civet or gem-faced
civet
Special feature: It
is native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia
The genus Paguma was first named and
described by John Edward Gray in 1831. All described forms are regarded as a
single species.
In recent times, masked palm civets
were considered to be a likely vector of SARS.
Paguma larvata is protected in
Malaysia and Thailand. The population of India is listed on CITES Appendix III.
In Hong Kong, it is a protected species under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance
Cap 170. (Source: Wikipedia)