The fossa is a one-of-a-kind predator that stalks the island of Madagascar. This unusual animal has some features of a cat, but its long snout and body resemble that of a mongoose (both animals belong to the same biological family). The agile fossa stalks prey in trees and creeps up on victims with a combination of terrific balance and stealthy silence. Nighttime hunting is the fossa's specialty; its huge eyes help it spot prey in the dark.
Mixed Bag: The fossa looks like a combination of several other animals. The tip of its nose resembles that of a dog; its teeth and paws are like a leopard's and its snout and body look similar to a mongoose's. One of the world's unique predators, it's found only on the island of Madagascar.
All-Seeing: This predator usually stalks its prey at night. The fossa has huge eyes that open wide to let in all the available light so it can hunt with just the aid of the moon. During the day, the creature's pupils close to narrow slits to block out sunlight.
Balancing Act[]
With its huge eyes, the fossa stays on the lookout for its next meal.
The fossa can hunt successfully on the forest floor, but it is more at home in trees. Its short, strong legs help it walk easily on narrow branches and leap from one tree to another. Plus, the fossa's tail is equal in length to the rest of its body, which gives the animal great balance. This predator stalks prey by quietly inching toward it on a branch, then springing on the victim. It traps the prey between its front paws and makes the kill with a bite to the neck. Its favorite meal is the lemur, a monkey-like primate.
The Bigger They Are: The fossa shares some similarities with the giant mongoose, including its ferocity. Though the animal is fairly small, the fossa has been known to attack prey much larger than itself, even bringing down domestic cows!
Night Stalker: This creature's dark fur gives it an extra advantage during its nightly hunts. Many of its prey have adapted to seeing well in the dark, but the fossa's brown fur blends in with the tree branches as the hunter stalks its victims.
Crouching Fossa[]
- While on the forest floor, a hungry fossa spots something moving in the tree above. With a quick but silent leap, it's on its way to check things out.
- The fossa spots a lemur in the tree. It slows and watches the primate for a few minutes, creeping closer but not making a sound.
- When the lemur is in range, the fossa springs into action. It traps its victim under the weight of its body and quickly bites into the lemur's neck.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The card's front illustration is also used in the Wildlife Explorer series, for the Fossa's profile. The main difference is the Weird n' Wild illustration has the mouth opened, and removed the two branches the Fossa was standing on.
- The multi-paneled illustrations on the back, "Crouching Fossa", is also used in the Wildlife Explorer card. Here, titled "Treetop Tyranny", there is an additional panel of the fossa actually pouncing on the lemur, which is confirmed as a ruffed lemur.
- The fossa is compared to the Jaguarundi on its knowledge card.
- The fossa is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Where In The World? on Monster Mania 81.
- It is then featured in Know Your Noses on Monster Mania 86.
- It is next featured in Killer Smiles on Monster Mania 92.