Cryptoprocta spelea
Cryptoprocta spelea, also known as the giant fossa, is an extinct species of carnivore from Madagascar. The species is known from subfossil bones found in a variety of caves in northern, western, southern, and central Madagascar. Together, the fossa and C. spelea form the family Eupleridae.
About Cryptoprocta spelea in brief
Cryptoprocta spelea, also known as the giant fossa, is an extinct species of carnivore from Madagascar. It was first described in 1902, and in 1935 was recognized as a separate species from its closest relative, the living fossa. The species is known from subfossil bones found in a variety of caves in northern, western, southern, and central Madagascar. When and how the larger form became extinct is unknown; there is some anecdotal evidence, including reports of very large fossas, that there is more than one surviving species. Together, the fossa and C. spelea form the family Eupleridae, which also includes the other Malagasy carnivorans, the falanouc, the fanalokas, and the Galidiinae.
DNA sequence studies suggest that the Euplinidae form a group and are most closely related to the mongooses of Eurasia mainland and Africa. The specific name refers to an animal allegedly from southern Madagascar described by Étienne de Flacourt in 1658 as a large, rare, leopard-like carnivore that eats men and calves and lives in remote mountainous areas; it may have been the giant Fossa. In some sites, it occurs with remains of C. ferox, but there is no evidence that the two lived in the same places at the same time.
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This page is based on the article Cryptoprocta spelea published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
