Malagasy civet

"Fossa (genus)" redirects here. Not to be confused with Fossa (animal).

Malagasy civet
at Ranomafana National Park
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Eupleridae
Subfamily: Euplerinae
Genus: Fossa
Gray, 1864[3]
Species:
F. fossana
Binomial name
Fossa fossana
(Müller, 1776)[3]
Malagasy civet range[4]
Synonyms

Viverra fossana Müller, 1776

The Malagasy or striped civet (Fossa fossana), also known as the fanaloka (Malagasy, [fə̥ˈnaluk]) or jabady,[5] is an euplerid endemic to Madagascar.[6] It is the only species in genus Fossa.

The Malagasy civet is a small mammal, about 47 centimetres (19 in) long excluding the tail (which is only about 20 centimetres (7.9 in)). It can weigh 1.5 to 2.0 kilograms (3.3 to 4.4 lb). It is endemic to the tropical forests of Madagascar. Malagasy civets are nocturnal. It eats small vertebrates, insects, aquatic animals, and eggs stolen from birds' nests. The mating season of the Malagasy civet is August to September and the gestation period is three months, ending with the birth of one young. The Malagasy civet is listed as Vulnerable by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).[1]

The Malagasy name fanaloka is related to the Malay word pelanduk "mousedeer" (via metathesis) likely due to their similar sizes and silhouette.[7]

  1. ^ a b Hawkins, F. (2015). "Fossa fossana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T8668A45197868. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T8668A45197868.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ a b "Fossa fossana". ITIS. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  4. ^ Hawkins, A. F .A. (2008). "Fossa fossana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  5. ^ Nick Garbutt; Hilary Bradt; Derek Schuurman (2008). Madagascar Wildlife. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-84162-245-3.
  6. ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 560. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  7. ^ Blench, Roger M.; Walsh, Martin (2009). Faunal names in Malagasy: their etymologies and implications for the prehistory of the East African coast (PDF). Eleventh International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics (11 ICAL). Aussois, France. pp. 1–31.