Cryptoprocta ferox
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The pit or
fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox - Bennett 1833) is a carnivorous mammal of the family of Eupleridi endemic in Madagascar.
Morphology
is 150-180 cm long, including the long tail as the body, and 12.7 kg heavier. The height at the withers is around 35 cm, then the animal has a very elongated, slender, at first glance you immediately notice the similarities with a small puma or a Jaguarundi. The coat is generally tawny, with a color similar to that of red deer or the red kangaroo, but there are melanic specimens in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar.
Habits
is a predator, at the top of the food chain. Its prey are the lemurs (who follows very easily through the trees, where it moves by using its long tail as a barbell) and virtually all other animals that inhabit the island, by Tenrec (Tenrecidae) to votsovotsa (Hypogeomys antimena), from young bushpig (Potamochoerus porcus) in various species of birds.
Although the third largest animal on the island, after the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and the bush-pig (Potamochoerus porcus), has small dimensions, this does not prevent him from being a powerful and extremely pugnacious predator, capable of easily break down prey much heavier than he. Farmers argue that in addition to the Malagasy poultry and pigs even able to kill their zebu (Bos indicus) and animal vital to the economy of Madagascar, and may even pose a danger to humans, especially children. In fact, unless wounded or cornered the pit is in no way a threat to humans, and having the size of the predator.
The fossa is a solitary animal, except in mating season (September to November), each sample occupies a rather large territory, and some were seen along the pit more than 7 km in one night.
Gestation lasts about three months, the female gives birth to 2-4 young in a den, weighing 100-150 just g at birth. The cubs open their eyes 15 days after birth and leave the den for the first time after about two months. They are weaned permanently around the fifth month of life will reach adult size in four years.
Distribution and habitat
The fossa in Madagascar is widespread in all types of habitats where trees are present (even in limited quantities), from rain forests and the eastern deciduous forest spiny forest to the west of the south is absent only from the central highlands is completely cleared. It is interesting that reaches over 2500 m altitude in the mountains, where habitat has its main prey.
Lemurs
