#Cryptoprocta ferox

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

I had a really weird moment at the Madagascar exhibit at the San Fransisco Zoo... that I can't remember the last time I've heard a child sing "I like to move it move it" at the ringtailed lemurs. While it was always annoying, I guess the absence of that sound must be an indicator I'm a Real Adult now with out-of-date cultural references. lol.

Anyhow, I'm here to talk to you about my favorite buddies from that movie - the fossa. Pronounced correctly as either "FOS-sah" or "FOO-sah", afaik.

Remember these guys, the bumbling villains of the first Madacasgar movie?

This movie did them dirty. They're such a cool species, and far more dignified than this!

Fossa are the largest carnivore on Madagascar, and hail from a group of carnivores only found on the island. They're lithe, cat-like creatures that aren't super related to cats, that look like you mixed in a weasel and maybe an otter; they're actually most closely related to civets and mongoose. They're sleek and very strong for the fact they're only a couple of feet long (not counting the very long tail). Highly mobile wrists that let them climb down trees headfirst and navigate the treetops to hunt arboreal prey.

Anyway, I'm in love. Here's the beautiful lady from the SF zoo.

[snototter]

A fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) crosses the street in Kirindy Reserve, Madagascar

by Dominique Schreckling

[weasel-war-dance]

Fossa | Daniel Austin

[internetdruid]

👊🥚👊

(Knuckle tats that read "THE EGG"

fossa!

(Cryptoprocta ferox)

[dremlikk]

fossa - february 2025, zoo prague

[different-picture-daily]

Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)

[tiifu-ndovu]

[mammalianmammals]

Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), juveniles, family Eupleridae, endemic to most of Madagascar (but not found in the central part of the island).

photographs via: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Madagascar is full of unique animals, from the smallest insects all the way to the top of the food chain! Fossas occupy their own special family, Eupleridae, and feature plenty of special physical traits. One such trait is their sexual growth: from ages 1-2, female fossa undergo a process called transient masculinization, wherein they develop an enlarged clitoris resembling a penis and secrete an orange substance that colors their underside in the same pattern as the male's scrotum sac. These developments fade with age, and don't impede reproduction in any way.

(Image: A fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) by the Chester Zoo)

[mutant-distraction]

Fossa

The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is a slender, long-tailed, cat-like mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the carnivoran family Eupleridae.

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Have you done the fossa or the jaguarundi?

We haven't done the fossa yet, but it's been a while since we did the jaguarundi so I'll have it come next!

[snototter]

A female fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) waits for a suitor male in a tree in Kirindy Reserve, Madagascar

by Chien Lee

[weasel-war-dance]

Fossa | Barbara Schneider

[spinus-pinus]

Fossa Cryptoprocta ferox

5/28/2023 San Diego Zoo, California

[asterwild]

Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), endemic to Madagascar where it is the largest mammalian carnivore. Traits such as semi-retractable claws, flexible ankles, and a tail nearly as long as the rest of their body help make them excellent climbers and balance as they maneuver through the trees.

[valeriaarts]

Cryptoprocta ferox studies

I'm working on an illustration of Cryptoprocta spelae, the great extinct Madagascar Fossa. I will upload each step here as soon as I have it 100% ready, I will tell you a little about the process and some facts about this extinct animal from Madagascar.