Cryptoprocta ferox
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English: Fossa
German: Fossa
French: Cryptoprocte
Spanish: Foussa
Distribution areas
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The fossa can be found in the wild only
in the Madascar island, but it is often
raised in zoos.
Description of the fur
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The skin is from 65 to 80 cm long, A group of hairs of the fine
covered with reddish yellow-brown hairs. and guard type, 400x
The coloration of the underfur layer and
guard hair layer is similar. The length of longest hair is up to 23
mm.
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Cryptoprocta ferox
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English: Fossa
German: Fossa
French: Cryptoprocte
Spanish: Foussa
Structure of the hair
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The microscopic structure of the skin
surface is relatively smooth. The hair
follicle are narrow with straight edges and
contain clusters of 4 to 7 fibres.
The fine fur fibres are circular in
cross-section in the bottom part and The cuticular structure
straight-sided (polyhedral) in the upper of an intermediate hair, 1000x
part, with a diameter of 17 to 24 µm. The
cuticule is covered by cornet-like scales and by non-regular petal-like
scales with a smooth or non-regular grooved surface and straight scale
margins.
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Cryptoprocta ferox
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English: Fossa
German: Fossa
French: Cryptoprocte
Spanish: Foussa
The intermediate fibres have a diameter
of 26 to 38 µm; the cross-section is
circular or elliptical in outline. The
cuticular scales are even, tile-like and
petal-like in shape, with a smooth scale
surface and straight scale margins. The
medulla is narrow, unbroken and central
symmetrical-shaped in cross-section. The
overall structure is of the uniserial Longitudinal section
ladder type with an infilling substance of of an intermediate fibre, 2000x
an amorphous structure in the medullary
column.
The guard hairs are also of a circular or elliptical cross-section with a
diameter measuring from 50 to 75 µm. The cuticular scales are of the
crenated, tile-like type, with a smooth scale surface and rippled scale
margins. The medulla is wide, unbroken and symmetrically situated in the
central axial area of the shafts. The overall medullary structure is of the
lattice type with an infilling substance of an amorphous structure.
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Cryptoprocta ferox
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English: Fossa
German: Fossa
French: Cryptoprocte
Spanish: Foussa
The cuticular structure
of a guard hair, 1000x
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Cryptoprocta ferox
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English: Fossa
German: Fossa
French: Cryptoprocte
Spanish: Foussa
Transverse section
of a guard hair, 1000x
Numerical code for fossa skin structure
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Surface of the skin: 1-4-3
Fine fur fibres: 1.6-5.13-1.3-1-4-0-0-0-0-17.24-7.15
Intermediate fibres: 1.3-3.14-1-1-3-1-1-1-8-30.51-15.22
Guard hairs: 2.1-4-1-2-2-1-1-8-8-50.75-20.23
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