The Asian palm civet's long, stocky body is covered with coarse, shaggy hair that is usually greyish in colour.

[3] The Asian palm civet is widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia, ranging from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka to Thailand, Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei Darussalam, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Bawean and Siberut.

[5] Scent marking behaviour and olfactory response to various excretions such as urine, feces, and secretion of the perineal gland differs in males and females.

Scent marking by dragging the perineal gland and leaving the secretion on the substrate was most commonly observed in animals of both sexes.

The palm civet can distinguish animal species, sex, familiar and unfamiliar individuals by the odor of the perineal gland secretion.

It plays an important role in the natural regeneration of Pinanga kuhlii and P. zavana palms at Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park.

It is threatened by hunting and trapping, in particular in southern China; in some parts of India, some ethnic tribes kill and consume its meat.

[10] In Indonesia, it is threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade; buyers use it for the production of kopi luwak made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Asian palm civets.

[15] This species has become popular as a pet in Indonesia in recent years, causing a rise in the numbers found in markets in Java and Bali.

[17] It is the nominate subspecies and ranges in Sri Lanka and southern India as far north as the Narbada River.

He was eventually transformed into a handsome young man, and married the person to whom he gave the Flower of Gold.