What animal did fossas evolve from?
![Picture](/uploads/4/1/8/1/41811989/published/220px-mongoose.jpg?1492975048)
There are two main candidates that the fossa could have evolved from, both of which are in its family of species. One of these are the mongoose, which is in the same family of Eupleridae as the fossa, and also somewhat resembles it. The big difference between it and the fossa is mainly its diet, which consists of insects and worms. They also don't usually climb trees, unlike the fossa.
![Picture](/uploads/4/1/8/1/41811989/published/civet.jpg?1492975643)
The other main contender for the evolution of the fossa is the civet, which is another small carnivore in the family Eupleridae that lives in Madagascar. It is more cat-like, and shares a similar diet to the mongoose. It has been known to climb trees, which is a little more like the fossa. Even though both of these are quite like the fossa, their genetic makeup is so similar that it is difficult to tell what he fossa truly evolved from.