Concurrency in C# Cookbook

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The animal on the cover of Concurrency in C# Cookbook is a common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), also known as an Asian palm civet. Despite their Latin name, palm civets (like all other mammals) have two distinct sexes and are not hermaphroditic. For the most part, palm civets are solitary creatures that only spend time with each other during the mating season. They are native to Southeast Asia and the Indonesian islands, and have recently been introduced to Japan and the Lesser Sunda Islands.

Palm civets are small, furry creatures that can grow up to 21 inches long and weigh 11 pounds. They often have white or grey markings, which can include a facemask that resembles a raccoon’s. Unlike other civet species, their tails do not have rings. The palm civet’s best defense against predators is the smelly secretion that it ejects from its anal scent gland when threatened. Olfactory marking also comes into play during mating, when males and females will use scent trails to locate each other in the forest.

Palm civets are nocturnal omnivores, and they play an important role in maintaining tropical forest biodiversity by dispersing fruit seeds. They especially enjoy drinking palm flower sap, which when fermented becomes toddy, a sweet liquor; this habit has earned them the nickname “toddy cat.” In some parts of its range, especially Southern China, palm civets are hunted for bush meat. However, the biggest threat to the palm civet population is the capture of wild individuals ...