Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing the fossa.
If you're like me, the first time you even heard of a fossa was while watching the 2005
movie Madagascar.
The cool thing about this is that it gives us a clue as to where fossas live.
These carnivores are found only on the island of Madagascar, and, as the movie implies,
they eat a lot of lemurs!
But what exactly is a fossa?
They look like a small, red cougar, but they have round ears like a mongoose.
They can climb trees with their semi-retractable claws like a grey fox, but they also walk
on the ground with plantigrade locomotion like a bear.
They have long whiskers like an otter, but also a long tail to balance them while climbing
through trees like a lemur.
So what are they?
Well, even scientists are a bit baffled, though currently they're listed in the family of
carnivores only found on Madagascar, and they're believed to be closely related to mongooses.
Put simply, they're completely their own animals!
And, in fact, they're the largest living terrestrial mammalian carnivores on the island of Madagascar.
Fossa live in dry and wet forests from sea level to 6,500 feet (2,000m) in elevation.
They're solitary outside of the breeding season and mark their territories with scent.
Fossas have an anal pouch that stores a stinky fluid which they'll release when threatened
or irritated, though these carnivores don't have much to worry about in terms of predators.
Fossas top the food chain on the island of Madagascar.
Their main food source is lemurs, which may make up more than 50% of their diet.
They also eat reptiles, rodents, birds, and invertebrates like crabs.
Unfortunately, being a top predator doesn't always mean they're safe from harm.
Fossas are threatened by habitat loss and they've been harmed by introduced diseases,
like rabies, from domestic animals.
They also have a horrible reputation as pests who steal livestock and eat children.
While these claims are exaggerated, much like the hyena, it hasn't helped to temper their
image, so they’re hunted out of fear.
Fossas have a fascinating breeding strategy.
The breeding season is from approximately September to December, and mating almost always
occurs in a tree!
The female finds a horizontal tree branch and a group of males gather below her.
They'll fight one another for her affection and she'll mew to them to show her receptiveness.
Males that earn a spot take turns mating with her over the course of a week until she leaves
and another female takes her place.
Each session can last hours, and, like wolves and other canids, they'll be stuck together
for a brief period of time.
Gestation in fossas lasts about three months and the babies are born in a den.
This may be underground, in a termite mound, or in a tree cavity.
There are two to six pups per litter and it takes four and half months before they venture
outside.
They remain with their mother for a year or longer and only reach reproductive maturity
around four years of age.
It's unknown how long fossas live in the wild, though they've lived to twenty years old in
captivity.
These mammals are often described as looking like a small cougar.
Males are slightly larger than females and they range in weight from twelve to over twenty
pounds (5-9kg).
On average they stand about fourteen inches (36cm) at the shoulder and have a body length
of about two and a half feet (76cm).
Their tail is just as long as their body if not slightly longer!
This is used to balance their weight as they move through the trees.
In fact, a fossa can keep up with a lemur swinging through the forest canopy!
Plus, fossas have flexible ankles that allow them to climb down a tree head first!
They're active during both day and night and sleep in multiple sessions throughout a 24
hour cycle, so they're neither diurnal or nocturnal.
They’re cathemeral!
While they are generally described as solitary, there was an observation of three male fossas
working together to bring down a lemur.
Once caught, the three males shared in the meal together.
This may be relic behavior from a time when larger lemurs roamed the island, or there
may just be more to learn about these fantastic animals!
For more facts on fossas, check out the links below.
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