The fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family Herpestidae. The species is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. It’s generally feared by the Malagasi people and is often protected by their fady.
About Fossa (animal) in brief
The fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family Herpestidae. Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a close relationship with viverrids. Adults have a head-body length of 70–80 cm and weigh between 5. 5 and 8. 6 kg, with the males larger than the females. Over 50% of its diet consists of lemurs, the endemic primates found on the island; tenrecs, rodents, lizards, birds, and other animals are also documented as prey. Mating usually occurs in trees on horizontal limbs and can last for several hours. Litters range from one to six pups, which are born blind and toothless. Infants wean after 4. 5 months and are independent after a year. Sexual maturity occurs around three to four years of age, and life expectancy in captivity is 20 years. The fossa was formally described by Edward Turner Bennett on the basis of a specimen from Madagascar sent by Charles Telfair in 1833. The common name is spelled fossa in English or fosa in Malagasy, the Austronesian language from which it was taken. The species is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. It’s generally feared by the Malagasi people and is often protected by their fady.
The greatest threat to the fossa is habitat destruction. The generic name Cryptoprocta refers to how the animal’s anus is hidden by its anal pouch, from the Ancient Greek words crypto- \”hidden\”, and procta \”anus\”. The species name ferox is the Latin adjective \”fierce\” or \”wild\”. It is found solely in forested habitat, and actively hunts both by day and night. A larger relative of the species, CryptopROcta spelea, probably went extinct before 1400. It has semi-retractable claws and flexible ankles that allow it to climb up and down trees head-first, and also support jumping from tree to tree. Its compact braincase, large eye sockets, retractable claws, and specialized carnivorous dentorous dentures have also led some taxonomists to associate it with the felids. It was originally placed as a type of civet in the family Viverridae, a classification that long remained popular among taxonomist. However, in 1995, Veron Veron’s morphological study once again grouped it with Felidae once again. In 2003, In 1993, studies using nuclear and mitochondrial genes showed that all native native carnivores are more closely related than cats or civets to mongooses than to cats or orivets or cives. Some taxonomic studies have placed it back in its own subfamily.
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This page is based on the article Fossa (animal) published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 01, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
