Cibet

A number of viverrid species secrete civet oil in their perineal glands, including the African civet (Civettictis civetta), large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha), and small Indian civet (Viverricula indica). The African civet is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is primarily nocturnal and solitary. It is the only living member of the genus Civettictis. Most civet is produced in African farms, where African civets are kept in cages for this purpose. In 2000, civet sold for about five hundred dollars per kilogram.

The chemical in civet oil that gives it most of its distinctive odor is civetone, at a concentration of between 2.5 and 3.4%. Civetone is a macrocyclic ketone, (9Z)-cycloheptadec-9-en-1-one, with the formula C₁₇H₃₀O. Civetone itself has a strong musky odor that becomes pleasant at extreme dilutions. The oil also includes various other ketones such as cyclopentadecanone, cyclohexadecanone, cycloheptadecanone, and 6-cis-cycloheptadecenone. The animal scent is reinforced by the presence of smaller amounts of indole and skatole, which in African civet are present at a concentration of about 1%. Civetone is closely related to muscone, the principal odoriferous compound found in musk. In general, musks from animals are ketones, and plant musks are lactones (cyclic esters).

Muscone and civetone were the first natural products shown to have rings with more than six atoms. Until the mid-1920s, chemists believed that rings with more than eight atoms were unstable and could not exist. Ružička's large-ring synthesis was the first direct route to cyclic compounds with more than eight members. Molecules with about 14 to 19 atoms in the ring tend to have a musky smell.

Ethiopia is the world's main supplier of civet musk, with 90% of the international export share. The existing musk production covers only 22% of the international demand. In Ethiopia, most civet farmers keep 10-15 civets for years in individual cages. Several serious welfare issues are associated with the production of civet musk. The extraction of the civetone has been criticised by animal rights activists. The African civet has been listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008. In some parts of Ethiopia, civet musk is traditionally kept in a box alongside clothing, so that the clothes absorb the aroma. Civet musk was also traditionally used as medicine to treat various ailments.

The United States does not allow civets to be imported, as the species can transmit the SARS virus. The US does however permit the importation of civet oil, as long as it has been treated to ensure it is noninfectious.

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