Fossa

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

Fossas 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 fossas spend in the trees, they spend the same amount of time on the ground. When fossas walk on the ground, they walk flat-footed with their whole pad on the ground, called plantigrade. Fossas can cover long distances on the ground as well. One of the most important forms of communication for the fossa is by scent. Fossas have strong scent glands, and both males and females will scent mark during the breeding season. One of the favorite enrichments for our fossa is scent boxes. Our keepers will fill a cardboard box with a unique scent and give it to the fossa for her to play with and inspect. The population of fossas in the wild has greatly declined, with only 2,500 or less left in the wild. Deforestation has taken away much of the fossa's habitat. Additionally, fossas 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 fossa, and many natives fear the fossa and kill it because they believe them to eat all their chickens.