Fosa

The fosa may look like a cat or monkey, but it actually belongs to the family Eupleridae. This family of carnivores are only found on the island of Madagascar, and their closest relatives are the mongooses. This species is the largest native predator of Madagascar, and lemurs make up approximately 50% of their diet.

The color of a fosa is tawny brown. It has a long tail that is about as long as its body, which aids in balance in the trees.

Fosas are great climbers with the help of their feet and claws, and their tail helps them balance as they leap through the trees. However, as much time as fosas spend in the trees, they spend the same amount of time on the ground. When fosas walk on the ground, they walk flat-footed with their whole pad on the ground, called plantigrade. Fosas can cover long distances on the ground as well.

One of the most important forms of communication for the fosa is by scent. Fosas have strong scent glands, and both males and females will scent mark during the breeding season. One of the favorite enrichments for our fosa is scent boxes. Our keepers will fill a cardboard box with a unique scent and give it to the fosa for her to play with and inspect. The population of fosas in the wild has greatly declined, with only 2,500 or less left in the wild. Deforestation has taken away much of the fosa’s habitat.

Additionally, fosas may catch diseases, such as rabies, that have been brought to Madagascar by introduced species like cats and dogs. There is much folklore surrounding the fosa, and many natives fear the fosa and kill it because they believe them to eat all their chickens.