[4] In 2003, masked palm civets at a wildlife market in China were found to have been infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

[5] The masked palm civet's fur is grayish to ochraceous, black on the head, shoulders and neck, and blackish brown on the tail and feet.

[7] The whitish mask extends laterally to the far edges of the cheeks and caudally up the forehead, past the ears, and down the back of the neck before stopping just under the shoulder blades.

In some, white stripes of fur, comparable to sideburns on humans due to shape and location, curve up from the throat.

The masked palm civet is distributed from the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, especially the Himalayas, ranging eastwards across Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam to China, Borneo, Sumatra, Taiwan, and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

[17][18] The masked palm civet is an omnivore feeding on rats and birds as well as on fruit such as figs, mangoes, bananas, and leaves.

[21] The major threats for the masked palm civet are continued habitat destruction and hunting for bushmeat.

[2] In May 2003, the SARS virus was isolated in several masked palm civets found in a wildlife market in Guangdong, China.

Evidence of virus infection was also detected in other animals including a raccoon dog, and in humans working at the same market.