---
title: "What the sources say about the Fossa | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "60 claims from the Fossa profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/fossa-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/fossa/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Fossa (*Cryptoprocta ferox*)

> 60 claims from the Fossa profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Fossa](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/fossa/)

## Fossa. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/fossa

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Madagascar's largest carnivore | fossas are that island's largest carnivores (note: tagline) |
| a cat-like relative of the mongoose | the fossa is closely related to the mongoose and civet (note: tagline) |
| can climb down a tree headfirst | Retractable claws like those of a cat and flexible ankle joints help it climb down a tree headfirst! (note: tagline) |
| It is native nowhere else. | Native only to the island nation of Madagascar (note: stats.habitat) |
| Mainly lemurs, plus fish, birds, small mammals, reptiles and even wild pigs | It preys on small- to medium-sized animals from fish to birds, mice, and wild pigs. But lemurs are its main food source (note: stats.diet; 'small mammals' and 'reptiles' are the ADW claim below) |
| A tail about half its total length that helps it balance and jump from branch to branch | The fossa's tail makes up about half of the animal's length! ... That extra-long tail helps the fossa balance and jump from branch to branch. (note: stats.superpower) |
| plus retractable claws and flexible ankle joints that help it climb down a tree headfirst | Retractable claws like those of a cat and flexible ankle joints help it climb down a tree headfirst! (note: stats.superpower) |
| has puzzled scientists since the 1830s | They have puzzled scientists since the 1830s. |
| At first glance it looks like some kind of cat, monkey or weasel. | At first glance, a fossa looks like some kind of cat, monkey, or weasel. |
| It belongs to Eupleridae | ORDER: Carnivora FAMILY: Eupleridae GENUS: Cryptoprocta (note: current zoo species page) |
| it is closely related to the mongoose and civet, even though it shares some adaptive similarities with cats | Although it shares some adaptive similarities with cats, the fossa is closely related to the mongoose and civet. |
| It is Madagascar's largest carnivore and native only to that island | Native only to the island nation of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa, fossas are that island's largest carnivores. |
| Males weigh 6.2 to 8.6 kilograms (13 to 19 pounds) and females 5.5 to 6.8 kilograms (12 to 15 pounds) | Weight: Females, 12 to 15 pounds (5.5 to 6.8 kilograms); males, 13 to 19 pounds (6.2 to 8.6 kilograms) |
| a body 70 to 80 centimeters (27 to 31 inches) long, not including the tail | Length: 27 to 31 inches (70 to 80 centimeters), not including tail |
| The fossa's tail makes up about half of its total length | The fossa's tail makes up about half of the animal's length! |
| it runs 65 to 70 centimeters (26 to 28 inches) on its own | Tail length: 26 to 28 inches (65 to 70 centimeters) |
| Its life span in the wild is unknown, but fossas have lived up to 20 years in zoos. | LIFE SPAN Unknown in the wild; up to 20 years in zoos |
| The fossa moves with ease high up in the trees. | The fossa is an intelligent, agile animal that moves with ease high up in the trees of its forest home |
| Its tail helps it balance and jump from branch to branch | That extra-long tail helps the fossa balance and jump from branch to branch. |
| retractable claws and flexible ankle joints help it climb down a tree headfirst | Retractable claws like those of a cat and flexible ankle joints help it climb down a tree headfirst! |
| On the ground it is just as comfortable running flat-footed, like a bear | the fossa is just as comfortable running flatfooted like a bear along the ground |
| it can travel up to 26 kilometers (16 miles) in a day | A fossa can travel up to 16 miles (26 kilometers) in a day. |
| Lemurs are its main food source, and the fossa is Madagascar's only predator able to kill the largest lemur species | lemurs are its main food source, and the fossa is Madagascar's only predator able to kill the largest lemur species |
| It also eats fish, birds, small mammals, reptiles and even wild pigs. | It preys on small- to medium-sized animals from fish to birds, mice, and wild pigs. (note: 'small mammals' and 'reptiles' rest on the ADW claim above) |
| It is an ambush hunter, catching prey with its forelimbs and claws and killing it quickly with a bite from its sharp teeth. | The fossa is an ambush hunter: it uses its forelimbs and claws to catch its prey, killing it quickly with a bite from its sharp teeth. |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance puts the wild population at only about 2,500 | fossas are classified as a vulnerable species, with only about 2,500 in the wilderness |
| No, even though it looks like some kind of cat. The fossa shares some adaptive similarities with cats, but it is closely related to the mongoose and civet, and it belongs to the family Eupleridae. It is also Madagascar's largest carnivore. | FAMILY: Eupleridae ... At first glance, a fossa looks like some kind of cat, monkey, or weasel. ... Although it shares some adaptive similarities with cats, the fossa is closely related to the mongoose and civet. ... fossas are that island's largest carnivores (note: FAQ 1) |
| Its tail makes up about half its total length and helps it balance and jump from branch to branch. | The fossa's tail makes up about half of the animal's length! ... That extra-long tail helps the fossa balance and jump from branch to branch. (note: FAQ 2) |
| Retractable claws like a cat's and flexible ankle joints help it climb down a tree headfirst. | Retractable claws like those of a cat and flexible ankle joints help it climb down a tree headfirst! (note: FAQ 2) |
| dangerLevel: Medium | killing it quickly with a bite from its sharp teeth (note: #384: a capability to injure; SDZ also says tales of danger 'have unfairly given the fossa a bad reputation', and ADW calls attacks on livestock rare and of questionable veracity, so not High) |
| a predator that can jump, scurry and dash fast enough to outmaneuver the swiftest lemur | the fossa can outmaneuver the swiftest lemur. It can jump, scurry, and dash (note: vibe.reason, #384) |

## Cryptoprocta ferox (fossa). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cryptoprocta_ferox/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a cat-like relative of the mongoose | Fossas are cat-like in appearance (note: tagline) |
| All forested areas of Madagascar, from the coastal lowlands to mountains up to 2,000 meters. | Fossas inhabit all forested areas on the island of Madagascar. They range from the coastal lowlands to mountainous areas up to 2000 meters in elevation. (note: stats.habitat) |
| small mammals, reptiles | Their diet consists of small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. (note: stats.diet and body; ADW is dated 2000 but does not conflict with the current SDZ list) |
| a family known as the Malagasy carnivores | Family Eupleridae Malagasy carnivores |
| where it lives in forests from the coastal lowlands to mountains up to 2,000 meters | Fossas inhabit all forested areas on the island of Madagascar. They range from the coastal lowlands to mountainous areas up to 2000 meters in elevation. |
| a figure already in use in 2000 | by the IUCN in 2000 based on estimates that only 2500 individuals survive |

## Hawkins (2016). Cryptoprocta ferox. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T5760A45197189.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-1.rlts.t5760a45197189.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN lists the fossa as Vulnerable. | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). Cryptoprocta ferox Bennett, 1833, IUCN taxon 5760. |

## Hawkins & Racey (2005). Low population density of a tropical forest carnivore, Cryptoprocta ferox: implications for protected area management. Oryx.

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0030605305000074

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In Kirindy Forest, where fossas are thought to be unusually common | The fossa is thought to be unusually common in the study area ... known as the Kirindy Forest |
| a three-year mark-recapture study from 1994 to 1996 estimated just 0.18 adults, or 0.26 individuals, per square kilometer | A 3-year mark-recapture study, comprising four censuses, generated an estimate of fossa population density at 0.18 adults km −2 , or 0.26 individuals km −2 . ... Trapping took place between 1994 and 1996 |
| In 2005 the researchers suggested that none of Madagascar's 46 protected areas at the time supported a viable population of fossas. | our findings are sufficient to suggest that none of Madagascar's 46 protected areas supports a viable population of fossas (note: 2005 is the paper's year) |
| Because they are thinly spread and their forests are disappearing fast. | The fossa Cryptoprocta ferox (Viverridae) is a mammalian carnivore threatened by the rapid loss of Madagascar's forests ... the estimated density was lower than that predicted for a typical tropical carnivorous mammal of the body mass of a fossa (note: FAQ 4; 'thinly spread' is the study's low density estimate, given with its figures in the next sentence) |
| A three-year study in Kirindy Forest, where fossas are thought to be unusually common, estimated just 0.18 adults, or 0.26 individuals, per square kilometer. | A 3-year mark-recapture study, comprising four censuses, generated an estimate of fossa population density at 0.18 adults km −2 , or 0.26 individuals km −2 . ... The fossa is thought to be unusually common in the study area ... known as the Kirindy Forest (note: FAQ 4) |
| In 2005 the researchers suggested that none of Madagascar's 46 protected areas at the time supported a viable population of fossas. | our findings are sufficient to suggest that none of Madagascar's 46 protected areas supports a viable population of fossas (note: FAQ 4) |

## Lührs & Dammhahn (2009). An unusual case of cooperative hunting in a solitary carnivore. Journal of Ethology.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-009-0190-8

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Three Hunters, One Kill | We observed a 45 min hunt of a 3 kg arboreal primate by three male fossas. The hunters changed roles during the hunt and subsequently shared the prey. (note: blockquote lead-in) |
| Researchers once watched three male fossas hunt a 3-kilogram arboreal primate together for 45 minutes. | We observed a 45 min hunt of a 3 kg arboreal primate by three male fossas. (note: one observation, scoped with 'once') |
| The hunters changed roles during the hunt and then shared the prey. | The hunters changed roles during the hunt and subsequently shared the prey. |
| It was the first detailed observation of cooperative hunting in a solitary species. | We report the first detailed observation of cooperative hunting for a solitary species, the Malagasy fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox). |
| Fossas are solitary, but researchers have seen it at least once. | We report the first detailed observation of cooperative hunting for a solitary species, the Malagasy fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox). (note: FAQ 3) |
| They watched three male fossas hunt a 3-kilogram arboreal primate together for 45 minutes, changing roles during the hunt and then sharing the prey. | We observed a 45 min hunt of a 3 kg arboreal primate by three male fossas. The hunters changed roles during the hunt and subsequently shared the prey. (note: FAQ 3) |
| It was the first detailed observation of cooperative hunting in a solitary species. | We report the first detailed observation of cooperative hunting for a solitary species (note: FAQ 3) |

## Hawkins et al. (2002). Transient Masculinization in the Fossa, Cryptoprocta ferox (Carnivora, Viverridae). Biology of Reproduction.

https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod66.3.610

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In 2002, scientists reported the first discovery of transient, or temporary, masculinization in a female mammal, in the fossa. | we made the first discovery of transient masculinization of a female mammal (note: abstract only; 2002 is the paper's year; 'or temporary' defines 'transient') |
| Young females in the study had an enlarged, spiny clitoris supported by a small bone, plus a pigmented secretion on their belly fur that, in adults, was found only on males. | Juvenile female fossas exhibited an enlarged, spinescent clitoris supported by an os clitoridis and a pigmented secretion on the underpart fur that in adults was confined to males. |
| These features appeared to fade with age, and most of the adult females studied lacked them. | These features appeared to diminish with age. The majority of adult females lacked them |
| Levels of three male hormones showed no significant difference between the masculinized young females and the unmasculinized adults | No significant differences in testosterone, androstenedione, or dihydrotestosterone levels were found between juvenile (masculinized) and adult (nonmasculinized) females. (note: the three are androgens: 'No evidence was found to link this masculinization to elevated female androgen levels') |
| none of the explanations proposed up to then for female masculinization in mammals fit the findings | None of the hypotheses so far proposed to explain the evolutionary basis of female masculinization in mammals are applicable to our findings. |

## Farris et al. (2015). Hunting, Exotic Carnivores, and Habitat Loss: Anthropogenic Effects on a Native Carnivore Community, Madagascar. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136456

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Fossas are also hunted for bushmeat. | the fosa ( Cryptoprocta ferox ) ( x ¯ = 31 consumed/year) |
| Village surveys from 2005 to 2011 | A subset of households across four villages (S01, S02, S03, and S06) were surveyed an average of three times between 2005 and 2011. |
| around Makira and Masoala, Madagascar's two largest protected areas | Makira Natural Park (hereafter Makira) is Madagascar's largest protected area ... Madagascar's second largest protected area, Masoala National Park (note: as of the 2015 paper) |
| found an average of 31 fossas eaten a year at the four sites studied | Hunting was intense across the four study sites where hunting was studied, with the highest rates for the small Indian civet ( x ¯ = 90 individuals consumed/year), the ring-tailed vontsira ( Galidia elegans ) ( x ¯ = 58 consumed/year), and the fosa ( Cryptoprocta ferox ) ( x ¯ = 31 consumed/year). |