Why is this animal unusual?
It’s the largest meat-eating mammal on Madagascar, and lemurs make up more than half of its diet. It hunts them in the trees, where it’s just as fast as they are.
Why does it look like that?
A long, muscular body, a tail as long as the rest of it for balance, and claws it can partly pull in, like a cat.
Strangest biological feature
Reversible ankles. It can turn its feet around and run down a tree trunk head-first at full speed.
Why is it strange?
Fossas mate high up in special trees that are reused year after year. A female sits on a branch and males queue below, and a single mating can last for hours.
Interesting behavioral facts
Usually solitary and active day or night. Sometimes a few males team up to hunt big lemurs together.
Records held
The biggest native predator on Madagascar.
