Species profile
About the large-spotted genet
Genets look like cats but belong to the civet family, and they are among the most elegant of Africa's small predators: long-bodied, short-legged, spotted, with a ringed tail as long again as the body. The large-spotted genet is the widespread species in Tanzania's woodlands and riverine forest.
Because it is nocturnal and an easy visitor to lit verandas, many guests meet their first genet at a lodge rather than on a game drive. Look for the tail hanging below a branch, and for eyeshine high in a riverine fig.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Nocturnal, solitary and an agile climber. Hunts along branches and on the ground, and can flatten its body to pass through very narrow gaps.
Social life
Solitary outside breeding, with males and females holding overlapping ranges marked by scent from anal glands.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
Semi-retractile claws and a spine flexible enough to squeeze through any gap its head will pass, plus a long banded tail used for balance in the canopy.
