Kingdom : Animalia Class : Mammalia Family : Eupleridae Scientific Name : Cryptoprocta ferox Colour : Red, Brown, Black Skin Type : Fur Size(L) : 61cm - 80cm (24in - 32in) Weight : 7kg - 12kg (15lbs - 28.5lbs) Top Speed : 56km/h (35mph) Life Span : 15 - 20 years Most Distinctive Feature : Webbed toes and retractable claws Fun Fact : Most closely related to the mongoose!
- The Fossa is a medium sized animal found only in the island of Madagascar.
- Fossa is the largest mammalian predator in Madagascar, with some of them being nearly 2m long.
- They have thick, short fur and a catlike head with a dog like snout.
- Their long tail helps them balance themselves while leaping through the trees.
- They are related to mongooses but also have a lot of feline features.
- They inhabit the dense forest areas of Madagascar.
- They are solitary, nocturnal animals and are also known to be territorial.
- They spend a lot of time on trees and are very agile climbers.
- They breed in September- October and the female fossa give birth to around 2 cubs per litter.
- The cubs are quite underdeveloped when born and are looked after by their mother for the first few months.
- They are carnivores feeding mainly on lemurs and occasionally on lizards, frogs, rodents, birds and reptiles.
- Since they are apex predators in their environment, they do not have any natural predators.
- Humans have posed a big threat to them by hunting them in order to safeguard their livestock.
- This along with habitat loss has made them an endangered species today.