Nope, it's not a lion, tho its strolls on fours
Madagascar, an island which splitted from the Indian subcontinent 88 million years ago, has grown its own fascinating habitat for extremely incredible creatures with more than 70% of such creatures found only on the island of Madagascar.
The Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is one of such fascinating creatures in madascar and also the largest predator on the island. The fossa is a feline like, carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar .It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family Herpestidae. Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats , yet other traits suggest a close relationship with viverrids. Its classification along with that of the other Malagasy carnivores, influenced hypotheses about how many times mammalian carnivores have colonized Madagascar. With genetic studies showing that the fossa and all other Malagasy carnivores are most closely related to each other forming a clade. Carnivorans are now thought to have colonized the island once, around 18 to 20 million years ago.
The fossa is the largest mammalian carnivoran in Madagascar and has been compared to a small cougar. Adults have a head-body length of 70–80 cm (28–31in) and weigh between 5.5 and 8.6 kg (12 and 19 lb), with the males larger than the females. It has semi-retractable claws (meaning it can extend but not retract its claws fully) and flexible ankles that allow it to climb up and down trees head-first, and also support jumping from tree to tree.
The fossa is a carnivore that hunts small to medium-sized animals. Its also one of eight carnivorous species endemic to Madagascar. The fossa is the island's largest surviving endemic terrestrial mammal and the only predator capable of preying upon adults of all extant lemur species, the largest of which can weigh as much as 90 percent of the average fossa.Although it is the predominant predator of lemurs, reports of its dietary habits demonstrate a wide variety of prey selectivity and specialization depending on habitat and season (diet does not vary by sex). While the fossa is thought to be a lemur specialist, its diet is more variable in other rain forest habitats.
I surmise we can say the Fossa is a king of its own small world
Did you know?
Their scientific name means "hidden anus." The fossa's genus name, Cryptoprocta, is inspired by how its anus is concealed by an anal pouch. It comes from the Greek for hidden (crypto) and anus (procta). The fossa's species name, ferox, refers to its exaggerated reputation for ferocity.