Fossa (animal)
Fossa | |
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At the Valencia Bioparc | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Eupleridae |
Genus: | Cryptoprocta |
Species: | C. ferox[1]
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Binomial name | |
Cryptoprocta ferox[1] Bennett, 1833
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Distribution of Cryptoprocta ferox (red-shaded area)[2] | |
Synonyms | |
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The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox; .
The fossa is the largest mammalian carnivore on Madagascar and has been compared to a small cougar, as it has convergently evolved many cat-like features. Adults have a head-body length of 70–80 cm (28–31 in) and weigh between 5.5 and 8.6 kg (12 and 19 lb), with the males larger than the females. It has semi-retractable claws (meaning it can extend but not retract its claws fully) and flexible ankles that allow it to climb up and down trees head-first, and also support jumping from tree to tree. A larger relative of the species, Cryptoprocta spelea, probably became extinct before 1400.
The species is widespread, although
Its
Etymology
The
Taxonomy
The fossa was formally described by
In 1993, Géraldine Veron and François Catzeflis published a
An extinct relative of the fossa was described in 1902 from
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Description
The fossa appears as a diminutive form of a large felid, such as a cougar,[15] but with a slender body and muscular limbs,[9] and a tail nearly as long as the rest of the body.[15] It has a mongoose-like head,[9] relatively longer than that of a cat,[15] although with a muzzle that is broad[9] and short,[15] and with large but rounded ears.[4][15] It has medium brown eyes set relatively wide apart with pupils that contract to slits. Like many carnivorans that hunt at night, its eyes reflect light; the reflected light is orange in hue.[9] Its head-body length is 70–80 cm (28–31 in) and its tail is 65–70 cm (26–28 in) long. There is some sexual dimorphism, with adult males (weighing 6.2–8.6 kg or 14–19 lb) being larger than females (5.5–6.8 kg or 12–15 lb).[15] Smaller individuals are typically found north and east on Madagascar, larger ones to the south and west.[4] Unusually large individuals weighing up to 20 kg (44 lb) have been reported, but there is some doubt as to the reliability of the measurements.[15] The fossa can smell, hear, and see well. It is a robust animal and illnesses are rare in captive fossas.[16]
Both males and females have short, straight fur that is relatively dense and without spots or patterns. Both sexes are generally a reddish-brown dorsally and colored a dirty cream ventrally. When in rut, they may have an orange coloration to their abdomen from a reddish substance secreted by a chest gland, but this has not been consistently observed by all researchers. The tail tends to be lighter in coloration than the sides. Juveniles are either gray or nearly white.[4][15]
Several of the animal's physical features are adaptions to climbing through trees.
The fossa has several
External genitalia
One of the more peculiar physical features of this species is its external genitalia. The fossa is unique within its family for the shape of its genitalia, which share traits with
Overall, the fossa has features in common with three different carnivoran families, leading researchers to place it and other members of Eupleridae alternatively in Herpestidae, Viverridae, and Felidae. Felid features are primarily those associated with eating and
Habitat and distribution
The fossa has the most widespread geographical range of the Malagasy carnivores, and is generally found in low numbers throughout the island in remaining tracts of forest, preferring pristine undisturbed forest habitat. It is also encountered in some degraded forests, but in lower numbers. Although the fossa is found in all known forest habitats throughout Madagascar, including the western
The fossa has been found across several different elevational gradients in undisturbed portions of protected areas throughout Madagascar. In the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale d'Andringitra, evidence of the fossa has been reported at four different sites ranging from 810 to 1,625 m (2,657 to 5,331 ft).[23] Its highest known occurrence was reported at 2,000 m (6,600 ft);[24] its presence high on the Andringitra Massif was subsequently confirmed in 1996.[23] Similarly, evidence has been reported of the fossa at the elevational extremes of 440 m (1,440 ft) and 1,875 m (6,152 ft) in the Andohahela National Park.[25] The presence of the fossa at these locations indicates its ability to adapt to various elevations, consistent with its reported distribution in all Madagascar forest types.[22]
Behavior
The fossa is active during both the day and the night and is considered
Except for mothers with young and occasional observations of pairs of males, animals are usually found alone, so that the species is considered solitary.
Fossas communicate using sounds, scents, and visual signals. Vocalizations include purring, a threatening call,
Diet
The fossa is a
The diet of the fossa in the wild has been studied by analyzing their distinctive scats, which resemble gray cylinders with twisted ends and measure 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 in) long by 1.5–2.5 cm (0.6–1.0 in) thick.[32] Scat collected and analyzed from both Andohahela and Andringitra contained lemur matter and rodents. Eastern populations in Andringitra incorporate the widest recorded variety of prey, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates consumed ranged from reptiles to a wide variety of birds, including both understory and ground birds, and mammals, including insectivores, rodents, and lemurs. Invertebrates eaten by the fossa in the high mountain zone of Andringitra include insects and crabs.[23][25] One study found that vertebrates comprised 94% of the diet of fossas, with lemurs comprising over 50%, followed by tenrecs (9%), lizards (9%), and birds (2%). Seeds, which comprised 5% of the diet, may have been in the stomachs of the lemurs eaten, or may have been consumed with fruit taken for water, as seeds were more common in the stomach in the dry season. The average prey size varies geographically; it is only 40 grams (1.4 oz) in the high mountains of Andringitra, in contrast to 480 grams (17 oz) in humid forests and over 1,000 grams (35 oz) in dry deciduous forests.[15] In a study of fossa diet in the dry deciduous forest of western Madagascar, more than 90% of prey items were vertebrates, and more than 50% were lemurs. The primary diet consisted of approximately six lemur species and two or three spiny tenrec species, along with snakes and small mammals.[32] Generally, the fossa preys upon larger lemurs and rodents in preference to smaller ones.[33]
Prey is obtained by hunting either on the ground or in the trees. During the non-breeding season the fossa hunts individually, but during the breeding season hunting parties may be seen, and these may be pairs or later on mothers and young. One member of the group scales a tree and chases the lemurs from tree to tree, forcing them down to the ground where the other is easily able to capture them.[15] The fossa is known to eviscerate its larger lemur prey, a trait that, along with its distinct scat, helps identify its kills.[29] Long-term observations of the fossa's predation patterns on rainforest sifakas suggest that the fossa hunts in a subsection of their range until prey density is decreased, then moves on.[34] The fossa has been reported to prey on domestic animals, such as goats and small calves, and especially chickens. Food taken in captivity includes amphibians, birds, insects, reptiles, and small- to medium-sized mammals.[4]
This wide variety of prey items taken in various rainforest habitats is similar to the varied dietary composition noted[23][25] occurring in the dry forests of western Madagascar, as well. As the largest endemic predator on Madagascar, this dietary flexibility combined with a flexible activity pattern[26] has allowed it to exploit a wide variety of niches available throughout the island,[23][25] making it a potential keystone species for the Madagascar ecosystems.[22]
Breeding
Fossas have a polyandrous mating system.[35] Most of the details of reproduction in wild populations are from the western dry deciduous forests; determining whether certain of these details are applicable to eastern populations will require further field research.[15] Mating typically occurs during September and October,[4] although there are reports of its occurring as late as December,[15] and can be highly conspicuous.[9] In captivity in the Northern Hemisphere, fossas instead mate in the northern spring, from March to July.[16] Intromission usually occurs in trees on horizontal limbs about 20 m (66 ft) off the ground. Frequently the same tree is used year after year, with remarkable precision as to the date the season commences. Trees are often near a water source, and have limbs strong enough and wide enough to support the mating pair, about 20 cm (7.9 in) wide. Some mating has been reported on the ground as well.[15]
As many as eight males will be at a mating site, staying in close vicinity to the receptive female. The female seems to choose the male she mates with, and the males compete for the attention of the female with a significant amount of
The birthing of the litter of one to six
Human interactions
The fossa has been assessed as "
Although the species is widely distributed, it is locally rare in all regions, making fossas particularly vulnerable to extinction. The effects of habitat fragmentation increase the risk. For its size, the fossa has a lower than predicted population density, which is further threatened by Madagascar's rapidly disappearing forests and dwindling populations of lemurs, which make up a high proportion of its diet. The loss of the fossa, either locally or completely, could significantly impact ecosystem dynamics, possibly leading to over-grazing by some of its prey species. The total population of the fossa living within protected areas is estimated at less than 2,500 adults, but this may be an overestimate. Only two protected areas are thought to contain 500 or more adult fossas: Masoala National Park and Midongy-Sud National Park, although these are also thought to be overestimated. Too little population information has been collected for a formal population viability analysis, but estimates suggest that none of the protected areas support a viable population. If this is correct, the extinction of the fossa may take as much as 100 years to occur as the species gradually declines. In order for the species to survive, it is estimated that at least 555 km2 (214 sq mi) is needed to maintain smaller, short-term viable populations, and at least 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) for populations of 500 adults.[27]
Fossas are occasionally held in captivity in zoos. They first bred in captivity in 1974 in the zoo of Montpellier, France. The next year, at a time when there were only eight fossas in the world's zoos, the Duisburg Zoo in Germany acquired one; this zoo later started a successful breeding program, and most zoo fossas now descend from the Duisburg population. Research on the Duisburg fossas has provided much data about their biology.[16]
The fossa was depicted as an antagonist in the 2005 DreamWorks animated film Madagascar, being referred to as the "foosa", and accurately shown as the lemurs' most feared predator.[42]
References
Citations
- ^ OCLC 62265494.
- ^ . Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ Croke, Vicki; Toft, Roy (1 April 2000). "The Deadliest Carnivore". Discover. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ JSTOR 3503919. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ Borror 1960, p. 39.
- ^ a b Blench, Roger M.; Walsh, Martin (2009). Faunal names in Malagasy: their etymologies and implications for the prehistory of the East African coast (PDF). Eleventh International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics (11 ICAL). Aussois, France. pp. 1–31.
- ^ Garbutt 2007, pp. 211–214.
- ^ Bennett, E.T. (1833). "Notice of a new genus of Viverridous Mammalia from Madagascar". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1833: 46. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Hawkins 2003, pp. 1360–1363.
- ^ a b c Yoder & Flynn 2003, pp. 1253–1256.
- ^ S2CID 4404379. Archived from the original(PDF) on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- PMID 15012940. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ .
- ^ a b Goodman, Steven M.; Rasoloarison, Rodin M.; Ganzhorn, Jörg U. (2004). "On the specific identification of subfossil Cryptoprocta (Mammalia, Carnivora) from Madagascar" (PDF). Zoosystema. 26 (1): 129–143. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap Goodman 2009, Family Eupleridae (Madagascar Carnivores).
- ^ a b c d e f Winkler, A. (2003). "Neueste Erkenntnisse zur Biologie, Haltung und Zucht der Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)". Der Zoologische Garten. N.F. 73 (5): 296–311.
- ^ a b c d Mueller, Jenni; Sironen, Alan; Lukas, Kristen E. (October 2007). "Infant development and behaviour in the Fossa Cryptoprocta ferox" (PDF). Small Carnivore Conservation. 37: 11–17. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-8014-8493-3. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- PMID 11870065.
- ^ a b c d e f g Macdonald 2009, pp. 668–669.
- PMID 12396496.
- ^ a b c d Dollar, Ganzhorn & Goodman 2007, pp. 63–76.
- ^ ISSN 0015-0754.
- ^ Albignac 1973, pp. 1–206.
- ^ ISSN 0015-0754.
- ^ a b c Dollar, L. (1999). "Preliminary report on the status, activity cycle, and ranging of Cryptoprocta ferox in the Malagasy rainforest, implications for conservation" (PDF). Small Carnivore Conservation. 20: 7–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011.
- ^ .
- .
- ^ a b c d Patel, Erik R. (2005). "Silky Sifaka predation (Propithecus candidus) by a Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)" (PDF). Lemur News. 10: 25–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2011.
- S2CID 22662679. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-19.
- PMID 9170643.
- ^ .
- ^ Rasoloarison, R.M.; Rasolonandrasana, B.P.N.; Ganzhorn, J.U.; Goodman, S.M. (1995). "Predation on vertebrates in the Kirindy Forest, western Madagascar" (PDF). Ecotropica. 1: 59–65. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- S2CID 55393370.
- S2CID 7995708.
- .
- S2CID 23088387.
- PMID 23200749.
- ^ a b Ruud 1970, p. 101.
- ^ a b Jones, Julia P.G.; Andriamarovolona, Mijasoa A.; Hockley, Neal J. (2007). Taboos, social norms and conservation in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar (PDF). 9th International BIOECON Conference on "Economics and Institutions for Biodiversity Conservation". Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- .
- ^ "The Complete Guide To: Madagascar". The Independent. 9 July 2005. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
Books cited
- Albignac, R. (1973). Faune de Madagascar (in French). Vol. 36 Mammifères. Carnivores. pp. 1–206. ASIN B000LPMXS6.
- Borror, D. J. (1960). Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms. Mayfield Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-87484-053-7.
- Dollar, L.; Ganzhorn, J.U.; Goodman, S.M. (2007). "Primates and other prey in the seasonally variable diet of Cryptoprocta ferox in the dry deciduous forest of Western Madagascar". In Gursky, S.L.; Nekaris, K.A.I. (eds.). Primate Anti-Predator Strategies (Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects). Springer. pp. 63–76. ISBN 978-0-387-34807-0.
- Garbutt, N. (2007). Mammals of Madagascar, A Complete Guide. A&C Black Publishers. ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4.
- Goodman, S. (2009). "Family Eupleridae (Madagascar Carnivores)". In Wilson, D.; ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1. Archived from the originalon 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
- Hawkins, C. E. (2003). "Cryptoprocta ferox, Fossa, Fosa". In Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.). The Natural History of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press. pp. 1360–1363. ISBN 978-0-226-30306-2.
- ISBN 978-0-691-14069-8.
- Ruud, J. (1970). Taboo: A Study of Malagasy Customs and Beliefs (2nd ed.). Oslo University Press. ASIN B0006FE92Y.
- Yoder, A. D.; Flynn, J. J. (2003). "Origin of Malagasy Carnivora". In Goodman, S. M.; Benstead, J. P. (eds.). The Natural History of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press. pp. 1253–1256. ISBN 978-0-226-30306-2.
External links
- ARKive – images and movies of the Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)
- Watch more fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) video clips from the BBC archive on Wildlife Finder
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905. .