The FOSSA!!!!!

Oh my goodness, I found out today that the Fossa are real. NO kidding. So for anyone that has watched Madagascar they should know that the Fossa is a cat-like creature that lives there, however, this entire time since watching the movie I thought the Fossa was just like a mountain lion and "Fossa" was just the lemurs name for it in the movie.

Wrong. So wrong. Fossa is the actual name of an animal and I felt like a very uneducated person when I found out.

When they get bigger they even look evil, except they have noses that are quite a bit smaller than depicted in the movie:

However, when they are young they are pretty cute:

At any rate, apparently the Fossa are indigenous to Madagascar and that's probably why I've never heard of them before. And get this, the Fossa is not even a cat! It's a Mongoose, which is probably why they look like weasely little creatures. Even though they are related to the Mongoose they can grow to be six feet long, which is probably why they were originally mistaken to be part of the feline family. 

So if you ever happen to visit Madagascar, be careful because the Fossa might get you and don't try to run because it can go up to 35 miles per hour! Though you are probably a bit larger than the prey they normally go after so I wouldn't worry too much!

Pandas

Sitting here trying to figure out what to write about on my blog today I suddenly started thinking about pandas.

It's kind of strange I guess in a way as Pandas have never been a favorite animal of mine, I've always liked horses. I've also taken an interest in cats and dogs. Generally I find all animals interesting but pandas have never been an animal I have been overly concerned with. However, at one of the jobs I used to work my coworker said when she's bored or depressed she googles pictures of pandas so I guess that's a default in my mind now! She always looked at baby pandas.

They do kind of make you smile, no matter what sort of mood you are in. 

Did you know that the panda is actually considered a "large bear cat" or a "cat bear"? There are arguments to what the name actually means. However, it is interesting to note that while Giant Pandas are often categorized with bears, Red Pandas are often categorized in the Raccoon family. I guess you can kind of see the mischief in their lean little faces.

I also found this about pandas on http://www.onekind.org/be_inspired/animals_a_z/panda_giant/:

• It appears to use no special resting place, but simply lies down on the ground wherever it happens to be.

That sounds like me most of the time. :)