Genet

A genet is a small mammal in the same family as civets and mongoose. In Africa, there are three subspecies of genets. There is the small-spotted genet, forest genet, and large-spotted genet. The small-spotted genet has round, elongated spots and a dorsal crest running from the shoulders to the tail. A forest genet has no dorsal crest, and it's spots are spaced out and elongated. Lastly, the large-spotted genet has a small dorsal crest and it's the most widely distributed of the three subspecies.

Genets are widely dispersed throughout Africa and southwest Europe. They are known to settle in a variety of different habitats. All of the habitats include dense vegetation. These habitats include woodlands, forests, and savannas.

There is no specific way a genet mates. Though this may be the case, the young do something quite strange when they are first born. When a mother has kittens, they can have up to two litters a year with two to four kittens per litter. When the kittens are born, they don't open their eyes or ears for ten days. They are nursed for six weeks before switching to solid foods.

Genets are omnivores, although they are most commonly classified as carnivores, and will eat whatever is readily available to them. This includes small animals and various fruits. They spend most of their time ground hunting and take shelter in escarpments. With their small, flexible bodies, they can fit in any opening larger than their heads. This helps when escaping from predators. Their main predators are owls, humans, leapords, and pythons. Though they have quite deadly predators, they aren't a very threatened species at all and are actually quite well conserved.