The feline-like predator from an old lineage

This secretive animal mews like a cat but is hunted for its fur or skin.

By Annette J Beveridge

GROWING to the size of a small cat and often mistaken for a feline, this enigmatic nocturnal creature is an elusive but skilled predator.

Genets are small carnivorous mammals belonging to the family Viverridae which also contains civets. Most species of genet have the same ability as cats to retract their claws and will adopt cat-…