Notes

Fossas are the top predator in Madagascar. Fossas hunt during both day and night, and can take prey from both the ground and in trees. Lemurs make up a good deal of their diets, but they also eat small mammals, fish, lizards, birds, frogs, and insects.Jan 5, 2015

Their scientific name means “hidden anus.” The fossa’s genus name, Cryptoprocta, is inspired by how its anus is concealed by an anal pouch. It comes from the Greek for hidden (crypto) and anus (procta). The fossa’s species name, ferox, refers to its exaggerated reputation for ferocity.

COMMON NAME: Fossa SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cryptoprocta ferox TYPE: Mammals DIET: Carnivores AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 15 years SIZE: Head and body, 23.5 to 30 in; tail, 22 to 28 in WEIGHT: 15.5 to 26.5 lbs SIZE RELATIVE TO A 6-FT MAN:

A relative of the mongoose, the fossa is unique to the forests of Madagascar, an African island in the Indian Ocean. Growing up to 6 feet long from nose to tail tip, and weighing up to 26 pounds, the fossa is a slender-bodied catlike creature with little resemblance to its mongoose cousins.It is the largest carnivore and top predator native to Madagascar and is known to feed on lemurs and most other creatures it can get its claws on, from wild pigs to mice. Unlike mongooses, and more like felines, the fossa has retractable claws and fearsome catlike teeth. Its coat is reddish brown and its muzzle resembles that of a dog.