Viverridae is a family of mammals in the order Carnivora, composed mainly of the civets and genets. A member of this family is called a viverrid. They are widespread primarily throughout Africa, India, and southeast Asia, and are found primarily in forests, shrublands, and grasslands, though some species can be found in savannas or wetlands. Most viverrids are 40 to 65 cm (16 to 26 in) long, plus a 35 to 60 cm (14 to 24 in) tail, though the West African oyan can be as small as 30 cm (12 in) plus a 35 cm (14 in) tail, and some binturongs can be up to 96 cm (38 in) plus a 89 cm (35 in) tail. Most species do not have population estimates, though three viverrids are classified as endangered, and one, the Malabar large-spotted civet, is classified as critically endangered with a population size of around 200. No viverrid species have been domesticated.
The thirty-three species of Viverridae are split into fourteen genera within four subfamilies: the three civet subfamilies Viverrinae, Hemigalinae, and Paradoxurinae, and the genet subfamily Genettinae. A fifth subfamily, Prionodontinae, was previously included in Viverridae, while the species in Genettinae were considered part of Viverrinae, but more recent genetic evidence resulted in the consensus to separate Prionodontinae into its own family and split out Genettinae into its own subfamily. Extinct species have also been placed into Viverrinae, as well as the extinct subfamily Lophocyoninae, though most extinct species have not been categorized into a subfamily. Nearly twenty extinct Viverridae species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.