(1) Genetic testing has revealed that, regardless of appearances, the fossa is a close cousin of the mongoose , and a member of the viverrid family, which also includes meerkats, civets, and genets.

(2) We have birds and mammals here such as the slender mongoose and large spotted genets that are not rare, but it's still nice to have them in a city like Johannesburg.

(3) Some others like the wild pig, the palm civet, the common mongoose , the golden oriole, and the rat snake can survive even with little green cover and withstand disturbances.

(4) With no other carnivores around, mongooses and civets became Madagascar's predators, and the fossa filled the hunting niche usually occupied by cats.

(5) Virtually none of the small carnivorous mammals of Southeast Asia (cats, civets, mongooses , weasels) have crossed it from west to east on their own.