Size : 2-6 pounds. 16-24 inches long. Tail 15-21 inches.

Lifespan : 5-15 years.

Breeding : Mating year round. Gestation 70 days. 1-4 young per litter, 2 litters per year.

Habits : Solitary, occasionally in pairs.

Diet : Small rodents, birds, and insects.

    The genet is a nocturnal hunter with a slender body, long-ringed tail and looks like a cross between a tabby cat and a mongoose. Studies show that it uses its senses of smell, hearing, and eyesight to find its way in the dark.  A typical genet has needle-sharp canine teeth and rows of dark spots or stripes along its back. It also has a long face, a pointed muzzle with long whiskers, large ears, binocular vision, retractile claws, and five toes on all four feet.  It is primarily a tree-dwelling carnivore, but it may hunt small mammals and game birds on the ground.  When a genet pounces on prey, its tail hairs will stand upright.
    Male and female genets only come together to mate. Before birth, the female builds a vegetation-lined nest in a tree or burrow.  Babies are born blind and about 5 inches long. Their eyes open after 8 days, and they are weaned by 6 months old. The female genet is protective of her young.
    The genet was likely imported to Europe from North Africa as a pet by Moors in the Middle Ages, or it may be a remnant population remaining from the time before the Gibraltar land bridge was broken.