The poor otter civet looks like it stuck its face into a wasp nest

Here’s an animal with a weird snout (my favorite kind of animal, of course) that you should know. Behold the “otter civet” (Cynogale bennettii), a silly ol’ creature that looks like it stuck its face into a wasp nest. (Side note: it’s not the civet that poops coffee beans—that’s an Asian palm civet.) Poor thing — I almost feel sorry for it, as the other swamp critters surely must make fun of its bulbous snout. Or maybe (hopefully!) not — maybe it’s actually everyone’s favorite peat forest friend, with a face that brings joy and laughter to the party.

Either way, I’m definitely a big fan of the otter civet, one of Southeast Asia’s weirdest and rarest animals. 1 Minute Animals describes it as having “one of the most distinctive faces in the animal world,” characterized by its “round snout, huge eyes, and extra-long whiskers.” YouTuber “Kilogram,” who posts informative animal videos, explains that otter civets—native to Sumatra, Borneo, and peninsular Thailand — are also called “civet cats” although they aren’t closely related to cats. Instead, their closest living relatives are the African mongoose and the spotted hyena.

1 Minute Animals also explains that the otter civet is a shy, nocturnal animal that lives in swamps and peat forests. It has adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle with sensitive whiskers that act as sensors, helping the civet swim through murky waters as it hunts for fish, crabs, and insects. Kilogram adds that, like otters, otter civets have webbed feet, which also help them navigate water and hunt aquatically.

Animal Diversity Web further states that the otter civet has other aquatic adaptations, including nostrils and ears that can close with flaps, and teeth that resemble seals, with jagged-edge premolars and wide, ridged molars. Otter civets aren’t limited to water, though—they also hunt arboreally. These full-faced cuties can basically do it all: climb, swim, and hunt on land and in the water! Sadly, the civet is endangered due to habitat loss from human settlement and agriculture, as its peat-swamp habitats are destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations.

If you want to see a cool video of some elusive otter civets in the wild, here you go. And for a closer look at an otter civet, check out this gorgeous footage from the extraordinarily talented photographer Joel Sartore of a glamorous gal who lives at Batu Secret Zoo and Eco Green Park in Batu, Indonesia. One commenter on that video sums up all my feelings about this precious creature: “What an immense snozzer, 10/10.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Previously:
• Nothing in this world is cuter than baby animals!
• Beyond the looks: The amazing world of the eerie-looking aye-aye and other ‘repulsive’ creatures
• Photo Ark project documents species before they disappear—see stunning photos and videos of 15,324 species, and counting
• Aye-aye caught picking nose with finger reaching its throat
• Civet cat butt coffee tastes good, say connoisseurs