Golden Palm Civet
Encyclopedia
The Golden Palm Civet is a civet
endemic to Sri Lanka
. It is a smallish civet
and has a coat that is a golden brown or dark brown in color. The hair on the back of its neck grows reverse grain, from the shoulders toward the head. It is poorly studied, but it is thought to feed on fruit
s, berries
, insect
s, bird
s, frog
s, and lizard
s.
this animal is called Pani uguduwa, Sapumal kalawaddha or Ranhothambuwa/Hotambuwa by the Sinhala speaking community. However, the term Hotambuwa is mostly used to refer altogether a different species Ruddy Mongoose
(Herpestes smithii). Due to similar appearance and coloration, they are mistaken as the same animal.
The Golden Palm Civet and Asian Palm Civet are sometimes collectively called kalawedda in
Sinhala and maram nai in Tamil
.
This civet appears in 3 rupee
Sri Lankan postal stamp. However, it is named as 'Golden Palm Cat' in the stamp.
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
endemic to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It is a smallish civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
and has a coat that is a golden brown or dark brown in color. The hair on the back of its neck grows reverse grain, from the shoulders toward the head. It is poorly studied, but it is thought to feed on fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, and lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s.
In Culture
In Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
this animal is called Pani uguduwa, Sapumal kalawaddha or Ranhothambuwa/Hotambuwa by the Sinhala speaking community. However, the term Hotambuwa is mostly used to refer altogether a different species Ruddy Mongoose
Ruddy Mongoose
The Ruddy Mongoose is a species of mongoose found in hill forests of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. This mongoose along with the Striped-necked Mongoose are the only mongoose species endemic to India and Sri Lanka....
(Herpestes smithii). Due to similar appearance and coloration, they are mistaken as the same animal.
The Golden Palm Civet and Asian Palm Civet are sometimes collectively called kalawedda in
Sinhala and maram nai in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
.
This civet appears in 3 rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
Sri Lankan postal stamp. However, it is named as 'Golden Palm Cat' in the stamp.