So Squee! Friday: The Fossa

http://hecklinghyena.deviantart.com

The fossa is a catlike, carnivorous mammal from the forests of Madagascar. Photos can be deceptive regarding their size; while they look similar in size to a small cougar, they actually only grow to be about thirty inches in length (not including their tail, which can be just as long as their body!), and weight between twelve and nineteen pounds. Like cats, they also have retractable claws, and love to climb trees.

http://thefabweb.com

While they are found in most forested areas throughout Madagascar, they prefer more humid areas. Their diet consists of lemurs  tofu shaped like lemurs  ok it really is lemurs  oh god how could you eat something so cute, rodents, lizards, birds, and small primates. Unlike many mammals we've covered on So Squee!, these adorable kitty-like carnivores are active both day and night.

Each litter can have up to six kittens pups that are born blind and toothless. These babies will reach adulthood after three or four years.

http://www.zooborns.com/

The fossa is currently an vulnerable species due to the ongoing destruction of Madagascar's native forests, as well as dwindling lemur populations, which make up a main part of their diet (sniff). While there are protected areas, it has currently been reported via a conservation risk assessment that most of these areas do not have enough fossas to maintain a viable population, meaning the species could disappear in the next hundred years.