Proailurus (SciiFii)

The fossa cat (Proailurus asiaticus), also known as the Asian fossa, is a species of felid that originally lived in Mongolia during the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene as an extinct species, Proailurus lemanensis, and the genus itself was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across mainland eastern Asia and parts of mainland Southeast Asia to help boost biodiversity. The fossa cat is a compact and small animal, just a little larger than the domestic cat, weighing about 20 lb (9 kg). It has a long tail, large eyes and sharp claws and teeth, with similar proportions to the viverrids, with its appearance being very similar to a true fossa of Madagascar, hence its name. Its claws are retractable to some extent, but not fully retractable unlike other cats, being as retractable as a true fossa's claws. Like the viverrids, compared with most cats, the fossa cat is partially arboreal, spending time in the trees to rest and to hunt other arboreal animals such as lizards, birds, squirrels, adapiforms, monkeys, and, rarely, small apes (such as gibbons), to name a few. The fossa cat is active during both the day and the night and is considered cathemeral; activity peaks may occur early in the morning, late in the afternoon, and late in the night. The animal generally does not reuse sleeping sites, but females with young do return to the same den. Except for mothers with young and occasional observations of pairs of males, fossa cats are usually found alone, so that the species is considered solitary. Fossa cats communicate using sounds, scents, and visual signals. Vocalizations include purring, a threatening call, and a call of fear, consisting of "repeated loud, coarse inhalations and gasps of breath". A long, high yelp functions to attract other fossa cats. Females mew during mating and males produce a sigh when they have found a female. Throughout the year, animals produce long-lasting scent marks on rocks, trees, and the ground using glands in the anal region and on the chest. They also communicate using face and body expression, but the significance of these signals is uncertain. The animal is aggressive only during mating, and males in particular fight boldly. After a short fight, the loser flees and is followed by the winner for a short distance. Mating usually occurs in trees on horizontal limbs and can last for several hours. Litters range from one to six pups, which are born blind and toothless (altricial). Infants wean after 4.5 months and are independent after a year. Sexual maturity occurs around three to four years of age, and life expectancy in captivity is 20 years. In captivity, fossa cats are usually not aggressive and sometimes even allow themselves to be stroked by a zookeeper, but adult males in particular may try to bite. The conservation status of the fossa cat is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the fossa cat's wide range.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii