Overview
“Where I live”
Cape genets inhabit savanna, shrub lands, and forests in countries of southern Africa. Considered highly adaptable, genets seem also to thrive in and around human settlements, including agricultural and urban areas.
“How I live there”
Genets have a diverse diet that changes seasonally. In summer, they eat mainly insects, while in winter, they tend to eat more small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They have been observed eating some fruits and seeds.
“Making my mark”
Though catlike in appearance, genets are relatives of civets. Yet like many cat species, genets have the ability to retract their claws, allowing the claws to remain sharp. These highly skilled climbers are semi-arboreal. Their excellent binocular vision allows gents to judge distance effectively when moving through trees and pouncing on prey.
Cape genets rely heavily on scent for communication. They will scent mark using secretions from an anal gland. In particular, scents left at latrines at the edges of a genet’s territory convey important information to an approaching genet about the territory holder.
“What eats me”
Not much is known about the specific predators of this species of genet, but they have been reported as prey for large eagles.
Raising Young
Adult genets are primarily solitary. The exceptions are during breeding season or while a female is raising young. Breeding occurs during the warm season, which is September to March in their range. The male and female do not form a pair bond, and the male plays no role in caring for the young, After a pregnancy of about 3 months, the female gives birth to a litter of up to five cubs, keeping them protected in a roost contained in a thicket or tree. The young are weaned by the age of 11 weeks, and by the age of about 7 months, a young genet is able to take its own prey successfully.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Family: Viverridae
- Genera: Genetta
- Species: tigrina