What does civet cat poop look like?

And why should we care?

Apparently, civet cat poop doesn't always look like 'blueberry jam' (oops, sorry to those eating while reading this). Poop is important because it tells us more about what civet cats eat. Fung Tze Kwan is studying the diet of our Common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). She is trying to determine if there is a food preference in the diets of the civets, and hopes to compare the feeding ecology of civets in natural and urban environment. In the outline of her project, Tze Kwan shares that "Knowledge on fruit–frugivore interactions, and seed dispersal processes in ecosystems, is essential for conservation of forests and animals (Corlett, 1998). This baseline ecological knowledge on the feeding ecology and seed dispersal capabilities of the civets can thus be further applied to conservation projects such as the Eco- Link project in Singapore." You CAN make a difference! Look out for poop! Collect and submit civet cat poop samples! The project requires a large number of civet cat poop. So if you see some, collect it and send it in. More details on how to do this and on how to identify civet cat poop.

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