Although masked palm civets (白鼻心, scientific name: Paguma larvata) are commonly seen in Taiwan's urban and suburban hills, their movements remain elusive. To understand how they live in highly urbanized environments, a research team from National Taiwan University (NTU, 國立台灣大學) collaborated with public departments, academic institutions, and wildlife conservation groups. Utilizing 426 reports from citizen scientists, it was discovered that more than half of civet sightings came from Taipei, with those sightings concentrated in areas close to suburban hills, namely Da'an, Wenshan, Shilin, and Beitou districts.
The team also recorded, for the first time ever, the co-parenting behavior of two adult female masked palm civets— where one civet mother took care of her cubs with the help of a "neighbor auntie." Once the cubs grew up and left home, the "auntie" also departed. The team stated that this co-rearing behavior among civet species (in the family Viverridae) has never been recorded, making this Taiwanese case a world first. The case study was published in the international journal Mammal Research in February this year.
Urban masked palm civets: foraging for cat food, toast, and food waste
The masked palm civet is a nocturnal mammal belonging to the order Carnivora and the family Viverridae, and is frequently active in trees. In recent years, their population numbers have been steadily increasing. They have been seen and photographed in building ceilings and on school campuses.
Tseng Hui-yun (曾慧雲), an associate professor in the Department of Entomology (昆蟲學系) at NTU, led a research team in collaboration with the the NTU Department of Veterinary Medicine (台大獸醫系), Taichung Wildlife Conservation Agency (台中市野生動物保育學會), the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute (生物多樣性研究所), and Observer Ecological Consultant Co., Ltd (觀察家生態顧問有限公司). In addition, the team received financial support from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC, 國科會) and the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA, 林保署). With this help the team integrated radio tracking, citizen scientist reportings, rescue records, and video data to analyze the behavioral patterns and survival challenges of masked palm civets in urban settings. A press conference was held on May 22 to present their findings.
Between May 2022 and December 2024, the team collected 426 entries from the Facebook community "City Civet Reports" (城市狸貓回報網). Over half of the masked palm civets appeared in Taipei City, followed by New Taipei City and Keelung City. Tseng Hui-yun noted that this might be because there are more community members or a higher willingness to report from Taipei City. Within Taipei City, report volumes were higher in areas adjacent to mountains, led by Da'an District, followed by Wenshan, Shilin, and Beitou districts. Masked palm civets were also more frequently observed between September and November.
Among the 34 foraging reports, the team found that the masked palm civets' diet is highly diverse, including fruits from various plants such as the Large-leaved Banyan (雀榕), autumn maple tree (茄苳), and cherry blossoms, as well as preying on wild animals like the Taiwan beauty snake (黑眉錦蛇, Elaphe taeniura friesei). Notably, humans feeding stray cats and dogs has also affected masked palm civets’ foraging. Among the reports, 12 instances involved cat and dog food or other human food byproducts, including toast, fruit compost, and food waste.
Tseng speculated that urban environments lead masked palm civets to consume abnormal, unnatural foods they wouldn't typically eat in their natural habitats. The team is currently collecting physiological information and further research is needed to understand the physical impact of consuming human food. However, their behavior has already shown significant shifts: "In the past (in original habitats), they had no opportunity to eat such things, but now they actively seek them out."
This behavior may even lead to encounters with stray dogs and cats. Beyond threatening the survival of the masked palm civets, it increases the risk of disease transmission to those who feed them, "becoming a major issue in wildlife management."
First discovery of co-parenting behavior in masked palm civets
Most Viverridae (靈貓科) are inherently secretive, making their breeding and post-breeding behaviors especially difficult to observe. The team used radio tracking to monitor the activity ranges and record the behaviors of the masked palm civets, collecting 336 observation records from citizen scientists and 13,421 video clips from camera traps. Among these, only two instances recorded two adults accompanying juveniles.
While tracking a breeding female masked palm civet (Female 1) on the NTU campus from September 2023 to March 2024, the team discovered that another female (Female 2) frequently rested with Female 1 and her cubs. Their nocturnal activity areas overlapped significantly. Furthermore, one cub and the Female 2 tended to groom each other, while the other cub was more inclined to follow the mother, indicating a potential division of labor in cooperative cub-parenting social behavior.
Chuang Po-chun(莊博鈞), a student from NTU’s School Forestry and Resource Conservation Department and one of the researchers, shared to EIC that Female 2 was not lactating at the time, and she would occasionally take one of Female 1's cubs away on her own. When the cubs grew up and left home, Female 2, the "neighbor auntie" who helped with the parenting, also left.
Although the exact relationship between the two female masked palm civets remains uncertain, occasional physical contact during their shared activities suggests they may be related. However, more genetic data is required to confirm this hypothesis.
The research team emphasized that whether in captive or wild populations, co-rearing social behavior among viverrids had never been recorded in past literature. This Taiwanese case, published in the international journal Mammal Research, represents the very first record of its kind in scientific literature.
Co-rearing among wildlife is not entirely uncommon; literature has recorded similar patterns in meerkats, where the intensity of companionship changes as the young develop and grow. Chuang Po-chun pointed out that if the two females share a genetic relationship, helping to raise the young makes evolutionary sense for gene transmission. Even if they are unrelated, the assisting "neighbor auntie" can gain experience in rearing:"When it comes time for her to have her own offspring, she can improve the survival standards of her own cubs."
For masked palm civets, urban buildings serve as shelters that are warm in winter and cool in summer. Tseng Hui-yun reminded the public that if masked palm civets cause a nuisance, citizens can call their local city or county animal protection or wildlife hotlines (such as 1959 or 1999) for professional assistance. Alternatively, closing entrances connecting roofs to the outside can prevent masked palm civets from entering homes again.
Translated by Stella Cammack; Proofread by Jaye Brayboy and Vita Liu (劉祐君).
*Note: This article has been translated between Chinese and English. Proper names and pinyin spellings are provided for reference only.
