A daytime observation of a group of Masked Palm Civets Paguma larvata in Darjeeling, India

Abstract

A daytime observation of two adult and four juvenile Masked Palm Civets Paguma larvata on a Castanopsis tribuloides tree was made in a village in Darjeeling, India, on 29 November 2017. Masked Palm Civets are generally reported to be nocturnal, solitary and territorial in nature, and are rarely encountered in groups, let alone during the day. This note presents details, including photographs and a video of the observation and thus adds to the limited literature on the natural history of Masked Palm Civets in the wild.