Island in the Indian ocean has preserved the existence of the fauna, not living in any part of the world, even in the farthest corners of Africa. This rare species is the fossa is the only species in the genus Cryptoprocta. On Madagascar it is considered the largest inhabitant of the carnivorous mammals.
The characteristics of
Externally, the fossa have slightly unusual appearance: something intermediate of viverra and little pumas. Clearly you can verify this by viewing the photos fossa. The unusual animal was given a second name — the Madagascar lion, because the ancestors of the Fosse had a larger physique, which reached the lion's sizes. Members of the genus Cryptoprocta have:
slightly elongated, low and massive torso with its length of over 800 mm;
thick Shorthair coat: on the head it is red, the back is cluttered with darker hair — with a rusty-brown hue;
with long legs, but quite thick, with front shorter than hind limbs;
the tail often has a size close to the length of the body and reaches 650 mm.
The movement of the beast happen like a bearish gait, advancing the whole area of the feet. Similarly, all animals of the civet family, the fossa, there are anal glands that emit a secretion with a pungent repulsive smell. The natives the impression, on the ability of the Madagascar lion to kill their victims only disgusting smell of these glands.
Habitat
Fossa — animals that the bulk of their time on earth, however, they often climb up the trees, hunting of lemurs — favorite food. The prey they kill by biting the neck, at the same time clinging firmly to the victim with their front paws. Small mammals are not the only diet of the king of beasts to the island of Madagascar, as it feeds:
birds;
reptiles;
insects.
Hunting is done mainly at night, the predators are hiding in shelters, as they can serve:
cave;
lair;
branchy tree.
The predator will go into the trees with a long tail and powerful paws, with the agility to jump from one branch to another. The baby fossa inherent sounds similar to a cat purring, the adults emit a voice like the rumbling of an aggressive cat.
Lifestyle
Madagascar lions mostly live alone. However, in autumn, during the mating period beginning in September and ending in October, one female provided with attention to the four males. During mating, the animals lose their innate caution inherent in their race, and often overly aggressively.
Females carry the fetus for three months, it turns out that the timing of the appearance of young one the light is in December and January. Unlike other animals of the civet family, inhabiting the island of Madagascar who are carrying only one baby, the female the fossa can bring from 2 to 4 kittens.
At birth, the animals have a weight of approximately one hundred grams, they are born blind, helpless and covered in light grey fur. Begin to see the light at the end of the second week of age, in about forty days the first time themselves come out of hiding when it reaches the two months they'll go into the trees.
For the upbringing of the progeny are solely responsible females to four months, calves suckle with their milk, in addition, the kids to a four-month age in full use of the meat. Only four years in the fossa become Mature individuals, however, leave their shelters already in dvadcatvosem age.
The conditions of survival
In captivity these animals can live within twenty years. Representatives of the Malagasy Lviv becomes less. The culprits of this, of course, more people become, as in nature, the largest predator of Madagascar cannot be other enemies. The aborigines of the fossa have proven themselves as destroyers coops, fighters, Pets, and occasionally the attackers and civilians. The natives witnessed the fact that the Madagascar lions, the attack on domestic animals, often killing more livestock than eat. The people who in turn hunt these animals for meat used in food.
This Madagascan predator is listed in the "Red book", due to the fact that the number of foosa appropriate to the stage of extinction. On Earth today account for approximately 2.5 thousand individuals, especially considering that in 2000, the animal was assigned the status of "endangered species", international Council for the conservation of nature decided to put the fossa in the list of species in need of protection from poachers. However, the inhabitants of Madagascar continue to hunt these predators, intervening in their everyday life, thus offsetting losses.
