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The largest carnivore in Madagascar, with a slender body and short legs, square muzzle and round ears. Fur on top of the body is brownish, blending towards white or orange underneath. The feet have retractile claws. (Garbutt, 1999)
As in the hyena, the clitoris mimics the penis and has a bone in it.
Very difficult to see. There aren't many and their range is large. Most frequently sighted at dusk and dawn.
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Head/Body Length |
75-80cm | 65-70cm |
Tail Length |
70-90cm |
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Weight |
6-10kg | 5-7kg |
They prey on lemurs and have been known to eat: Propithecus diadema edwardsi, Cheirogaleus ssp., Eulemur fulvus rufus, Eulemur rubriventer, Hapalemur simus, Lepilemur ssp. and probably consume others. (Garbutt, 1999, Goodman, 1993, Wright, 1997). They will eat most mammalian prey they find though, and birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates (Garbutt, 1999).
They are good climbers and can reach P. d. edwardsi at its sleep sites (high up in trees).
Generally solitary, except during the mating season, though perhaps hunting in pairs at times. Cathemeral.
They have a large range, and have been observed to travel 7km in a night.
They mate between September and November. Several males will hang around the vicinity of an estrus female. Both animals make loud noises during mating. Gestation is about 3 months, females find a den and produce a litter of 2 to 4 kits which weigh 100-150g at birth. Eyes open around 15 days, The kits leave the den for the first time around 2 months. They take their first solid food around 3 months and are weaned around 5. The full set of teeth appears at 2 years, and at 4 years they achieve adult size and weight.
They mark boundaries with anogenital marks.
Mammalia -> Carnivora -> Herpestidae (Cryptoproctinae) -> Cryptoprocta ferox
Garbutt, N. 1999, Mammals of Madagascar, Yale University Press
Goodman, SM, O'Conner S, Langrand O, 1993 "A review of predation on lemurs: Implications for the evolution of social behavior in small, nocturnal primates", Lemur Social Systems and their Ecological Basis, 51-66
IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre, viewed in July 2000, "Threatened Animals of the World", IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals
Overdorff, DJ & Strait SG, 1995, "Life History and Predation in Eulemur rubriventer in Madagascar", American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 20(321): 164-165
Wright, P. C., et al 1997, "Predation on Milne Edwards Sifaka (Propithecus diadema edwardsi) by the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) in the rainforest of southeastern Madagascar", Folia Primatologica 68(1) 34-43.
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C. ferox
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