Cuter than kittens (almost)

[SoCalDem]

Fri Oct 1, 5:26 PM ET


A fossa pup takes a quick peek under the watchful eye of its dam (mother) October 1, 2004 at the San Diego Zoo. The fossa pup is one of three fossas to be born at the Zoo since 1994. The two females and one male, can be seen spending their day following the adult female while exploring their new exhibit and playing. Fossas are only found in the forests of Madagascar where they are the island's largest carnivores. They are now considered an endangered species. (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) REUTERS/San Diego Zoo

[GoddessOfGuinness]

1. Cool!

I've never heard of them. Are they felines or canines?

[SoCalDem]

2. I had never heard of them either.. Mom looks like a cross

between a cougar and a fox :shrug:

They are carnivores...but I don't know anything about them :)

She's very pretty:)

[progdonkey]

3. neither

they belong to the family Viverridae, which includes "civets, genets, linsangs, and relatives," whatever the hell those are.... :)

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cryptoprocta_ferox.html

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. I always thought civets were felines...

Time to study!

[progdonkey]

6. like apes and monkeys

You probably thought of the "civet cats" that were thought to be the source of the SARS outbreak. Apparently "civet cats" are actually not cats, just look like them. Fossas look to me like crosses between cats and ferrets, but they're neither. It's like how most people refer to chimps and gorillas as monkeys, when they're actually apes, etc.

[legally blonde]

5. according to the National Wildlife Federation

the fossa is most closely related to a mongoose (although scientists once thought that it was a type of primative cat).
Check out this site for more info and pics: http://www.nwf.org/internationalwildlife/2000/fossa.html

[GoddessOfGuinness]

7. That's interesting...

There are apparent similarities...

Thanks for the link!

And welcome to DU! (I love the movie you're nicked after!):beer: