The largest mammalian carnivore on Madagascar: a slender, cat-like hunter with a tail nearly as long as its body. Its closest relatives are mongooses, and flexible ankles let it climb up and down trees head-first. It hunts by both day and night.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Can be
In parts of Madagascar it has long been feared as a dangerous animal, known for taking chickens and piglets.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inMadagascar
HabitatForest
ColoursBrown, Red
SizeMedium
Length70–80 cm (head and body)
Weight5.5–8.6 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for15–20 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Forests throughout Madagascar, from western dry forests to eastern rainforests and southern spiny forests.
- What it eats
- Lemurs make up over half its diet, plus tenrecs, rodents, lizards and birds.
- Conservation
- Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Madagascar's top predator, related to the mongoose but built like a cat.
It is feared by many Malagasy people and is often protected by a fady (taboo).
It can live 20 years or more in captivity.
Often confused with
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