The genet might look like a house cat, but don't expect it to roll over and purr. It silently stalks prey on forest floors in the wilds of Africa and elsewhere, making its kills with a quick pounce. Wide eyes give the genet great night-vision, so it can see every move its prey makes before closing in. Bigger predators might try to stalk the genet, but this creature stays camouflaged in dark forests, and can slip through thick bushes if it needs to make a getaway. Oddly, this creature is not even related to cats.
Wide-Eyed: Large eyes and wide-open pupils help the genet hunt at night. This creature is an expert at spotting sudden movements made by prey on the ground and even in trees. The genet can also find prey by scent and sound.
Neck Biter: This predator looks like a cat and hunts like one, too. When it spots prey, such as a mouse, the genet sneaks up on the animal from behind, taking small, silent footsteps until it can pounce and make the kill with a bite to the victim's neck.
Night Moves[]
The genet's tail can reach a length of 1.5 feet.
The genet often lives in forests, and can expertly navigate through dense wilderness, even at night. The creature can twist its body and long tail through bushes without making a sound and even skillfully climb trees if it catches the scent of prey or enemies. The genet helps keep its territory free of other predators by doing a "headstand" and rubbing its smelly anal gland high on tree trunks. Predators that notice the smell think only a bigger creature could reach that high and steer clear of the area.
Har to Spot: The genet is sly, but it's much smaller than other predators in its habitat, such as leopards. The creature's gray fur and black spots help keep it camouflaged from enemies after the sun goes down.
Show Some Spine: If confronted by a predator, the genet doesn't just turn tail and run. It has a ridge of hairs on its back that stand straight up when the creature is agitated, making it look more intimidating to enemies.
Scare Tactics[]
- While hunting, two genets meet where their territories overlap. They grunt at each other and show aggressive postures to scare the other away.
- Neither backs down, so the genets circle each other, raising the hairs on their back and hissing loudly to intimidate the rival. Still, neither one budges.
- The larger of the two thrusts its head and bares its teeth. This finally has an effect, as the smaller genet pulls back and eventually retreats.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The species listed on the scientific name section is the Common Genet.
- The card's front illustration is also used in the Wildlife Explorer series, for the Common Genet's profile. The main difference besides the removal of terrain is that the Common Genet's version does not have the mouth open, so the nose and mouth region is slightly different as well as a result.
- The back image of the genet in the tree, and the illustrations for "Scare Tactics" are also used in the Wildlife Explorer series. Here, the latter are titled "Brief Encounter", and there is a fourth panel of one genet crouching down in submission, ending their fight without any violence.