Small-Toothed Palm Civet in Singapore: A (Viv)Very Rare Night Sighting

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A lifer, and a hard one. The small-toothed palm civet (Arctogalidia trivirgata), also called the three-striped palm civet, is one of Singapore’s most elusive mammals. That night with the usual suspects, we managed to see them engaging in mating rituals and attempts (see photo at the bottom)

How to tell it apart

The species name trivirgata means “three-striped”. It’s a smallish civet, with a head and body up to about 53 cm, a tail up to about 66 cm, and a weight up to about 2.5 kg.
Wikipediaecologyasia

Where it lives

It lives in primary and nearby secondary forest, and it’s nocturnal and almost entirely arboreal. In Singapore, it appears to be confined to the Central Nature Reserves. Elsewhere, it ranges from India’s Assam region through Indochina and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
Vertebrate fauna of +2

What it eats

It’s omnivorous: fruits, figs, invertebrates and small vertebrates, including squirrels. Camera-trap records suggest it also preys on the Sunda slow loris.
nusnus

Why it matters

It’s listed as Critically Endangered in Singapore.
nparks

Is this the kopi luwak civet?

Kopi luwak is usually linked to the common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), not this species. The common palm civet is the one facing pressure from kopi luwak demand.
biodiversity


More from the forest at night: White-spotted slug snake · Ornamental tree-trunk spider

Sources: NParks Flora & Fauna Web · Nature in Singapore, 2025

Photo: Lorenzo Zanirato. More wildlife photos on Instagram →

Location: Old Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore

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