Civets in the genus Viverra are solitary, nocturnal, terrestrial animals which are able to climb. They are largely carnivorous, taking vertebrates and invertebrates, but will also eat fruit and roots. They kill their prey by biting it and shaking it violently until its spinal column breaks. They live in grassland, scrub, and forests, and may be found near human settlements. These civets are found in north-eastern India, Burma, Thailand, southern China, Indochina, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, the Malukus, and the Philippenes.