Carfaane Chilcote, age 15, of Albuquerque, N. M., for her question:

WHAT IS A CIVET?

A civet is a catlike meat eating animal that is definitely not a member of the cat family. It is found in Africa and Asia. Since ancient times, the civet has provided a musky secretion that has been been used as the bass of a rare perfume. The fatty yellow substance is found stored in pouches near the root of the civet's tail.

The African civet is about two and a half feet long, not including a two foot long bushy tail. Thick gray fur is flecked with yellow and there are black spots and bands on the animal, too.

Civets is India and other Asian countries are smaller.

A civet lives in a hole in the ground and only comes out at night. It eats small animals, birds and fruit.

There's an animal called the American civet cat. It is not really a civet. It is actually a cacomistle, which is related to the raccoon. The American civet cat doesn't have scent pouches and its fur is long and soft.