Skip to main content

Malagasy Civet

Fossa fossana
The Malagasy Civet is an interesting mammal that is actually more related to the Fossa than the Palm Civets of mainland Africa and Asia. Like the Fossa, it is found on the island of Madagascar, and lives in forested areas.

Malagasy Civets are small and almost foxy in appearance. They have short, brown, spotted fur, with a tail that they use for storing food reserves in during the winter. Malagasy Civets are ground dwelling carnivores that forage at night for frogs, birds, insectivores, and invertebrates.

Pairs form up during the mating season, and they will defend a territory together, marking it with scent from cheek and anal glands. Young Civets can walk within a few days of birth, but take 2-3 months to wean and will often remain with the parents for up to a year.

Malagasy Civets are currently experiencing a population downturn due to habitat loss, hunting, and food competition with introduced species.
IUCN Status :  Near Threatened
Location : Madagascar
Size : Body length up to 18in (46cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Eupleridae -- Genus : Fossa -- Species : F. fossana
Labels:

Comments

  1. DianeMay 29, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    We had a pair of civet cats when we lived in Zimbabwe that were very similar. The kittens were deserted by the mother and we hand reared them. As they had complete freedom they eventually just went wild though they did hang around for a while. Diane

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emma SpringfieldMay 29, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    A foxy face and a puppy body... How cute.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more