CreatureData

Malagasy civet

Fossa fossana (Müller, 1776)

VUVulnerablemammals

The malagasy civet (Fossa fossana) is a species in the family Eupleridae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 1.5 kg to 1.85 kg and live up to 11 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana)
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the malagasy civet

Weight
1.5 kg – 1.85 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
11 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
21.4 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
88.3 days – 91.3 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
23.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Scansorialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the malagasy civet live?

Not recorded

What is the malagasy civet?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Malagasy civet or striped civet (Fossa fossana), also known as the spotted fanaloka or simply fanaloka (Malagasy, [fə̥ˈnaluk]) or jabady, is an euplerid endemic to Madagascar. 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).

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

From the Wikipedia article “Malagasy civet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malagasy_civet&oldid=1371591507), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the malagasy civet endangered?

The malagasy civet is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.

How is the malagasy civet classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCarnivora
  5. familyEupleridae
  6. genusFossa
  7. SpeciesFossa fossana (Müller, 1776)

Synonyms Fossa fossa, Viverra fossa, Viverra fossana

Other names and names in other languages (25)
  • FanalokaEnglish
  • FanalokaEnglish
  • JabadyEnglish
  • Spotted fanalokaEnglish
  • Spotted fanalokaEnglish
  • Spotted FanaloucEnglish
  • Spotted Malagasy civetEnglish
  • Striped civetEnglish
  • Striped civetEnglish
  • زباد مدغشقرArabic
  • Cibeta de MadagascarSpanish
  • Civeta de MadagascarSpanish
  • FossaneFrench
  • Civette de MadagascarFrench
  • Civette FossaneFrench
  • Civette MalgacheFrench
  • Genette de MadagascarFrench
  • マダガスカルジャコウネコJapanese
  • 줄무늬사향고양이Korean
  • 마다가스카르사향고양이Korean
  • MadagaskarsivettNorwegian Bokmål
  • fanaloka madagaskarskaPolish
  • Civeta-de-MadagascarPortuguese
  • ФаналукаRussian
  • ФаналокаUkrainian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the malagasy civet

Other species in the same family Eupleridae.

VU, Vulnerable
Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)

Fossa

Cryptoprocta ferox

Eupleridae

CompareMalagasy civet vs FossaMalagasy civet vs Eastern falanoucMalagasy civet vs Ring-tailed vontsiraMalagasy civet vs Narrow-striped mongoose

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the malagasy civet?

An adult malagasy civet weighs 1.5 kg – 1.85 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the malagasy civet endangered?

The malagasy civet is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the malagasy civet live?

The malagasy civet has a recorded lifespan of 11 years.

How long is the malagasy civet pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 88.3 days – 91.3 days.

What kind of animal is the malagasy civet?

The malagasy civet (Fossa fossana) belongs to the family Eupleridae in the order Carnivora.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/malagasy-civet

MLA

“Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/malagasy-civet.

BibTeX
@misc{malagasy_civet_2026,
  title = {Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/malagasy-civet},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}