Fossa

Gallery: WildlifePosted June 25, 20081,409 views11 comments

It's not a dog, it's not a cat, it's a fossa!

Those of you who have seen the animated movie titled 'Madagascar' certainly know of this animal, the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox). The fossa is an endangered species and is endemic to Madagascar. It is the largest mammalian carnivore on the island. In Kirindy forest reserve in western Madagascar, these fossas live wild & free. Though they are not easily seen in the wild, they regularly visit the rubbish dump in the camp and some individuals are quite approachable, though they can be very aggressive. (I had them going for my lens...) It was not easy to make good photos of them though since they hardly sit still and because of shooting in the shade of the thick forest.

For more info on the fossa check:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossa_(animal)

Camera Model Canon EOS 40D
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/250
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -2/3
ISO Speed 800
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal Length 190.0 mm
Image Size 3888x2592
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type External E-TTL
Flash Exposure Compensation -1/3
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
White Balance Mode Color Temperature(5200K)
AF Mode AI Servo AF

Vincent Grafhorst
http://www.khwaiphotography.com

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Richard Tomalty on June 25, 2008 at 7:44 AM

Nice portrait of an unusual creature. I have seen them on TV but this shot really shows the cat and dog features they discussed.
Cheers
Rick T

Registered on October 11, 2006, 212 Posts, 1610 Comments

Comment posted by Ellen deBoer on June 25, 2008 at 9:53 AM

Wow, what a beautiful Fossa, Vincent! When I saw your photo I couldn't believe it was made in the wild! I didn't know you could see this animal so close in the wild. Great shot, very nice light in its eyes.

Registered on March 16, 2006, 419 Posts, 2076 Comments

Comment posted by Pete D on June 25, 2008 at 7:11 PM

Super cool - we have fossas in our zoo here. You have a wonderful portrait here. The stocky foreleg is a major mood-setter for me.

The flash is very nicely done. I was guessing that the light was natural light bouncing from the sand until I scanned the exhaustive technical info.

Pete D.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 590 Posts, 1794 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Gomez on June 25, 2008 at 8:22 PM

I envy you if even for just this one shot! Your trip to Madagascar must be paying off tremendously...The catchlight in the eyes is beautiful!
Fantastic shot!

Registered on March 3, 2007, 206 Posts, 1853 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on June 26, 2008 at 11:39 PM

Hi Vincent,

Very nice shot of a fascinating animal. I quite like the brown-on-brown composition and the eyes are quite enchanting. From a photographic perspective I think if the image were mine I would crop it a little tighter - the paws and ears of the cute little beast almost make a perfect rectangle - I'd use that (i.e., and crop tightly to it). But the image is excellent as is.

Thanks for sharing...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Andrew Yip on June 27, 2008 at 4:18 PM

Nice to see an image of such a rare animal! I just got back from visiting Amber Mountain and Andasibe-Mantadia...we didn't see any fossas, but our guide saw one crossing the road early in the morning on the way to meet us.

Registered on May 7, 2008, 130 Posts, 679 Comments

Comment posted by Luca Mussato on June 27, 2008 at 5:34 PM

thanks for sharing. I've neve seen this specie, well i've never known of it exsistence at all. excellent image as is for details and light. Composition is a matter of personal preferences in some cases IMO i would have cropped a little on the left, but again it's my preference.

Registered on November 14, 2006, 118 Posts, 855 Comments

Comment posted by Marsel van Oosten on July 1, 2008 at 3:23 AM

Very interesting creature, and one I missed when I visited Madagascar last year. Well done, congrats on the EP!

Registered on March 9, 2004, 285 Posts, 2277 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on July 2, 2008 at 10:11 PM

Beautiful portrait. I really love the eyes.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Cay-Uwe Kulzer on July 8, 2008 at 8:40 AM

Vincent,

congratulations for the EP. I must admit that I never have heard, seen this species before. You managed to get a very nice portrait. I understand that the conditions have not been optimal, but it would have been great to have a bit more open space at the right site, i.e. by pointing the camera more to the right.

Registered on January 27, 2004, 494 Posts, 4021 Comments

Comment posted by Laura Stafford on January 13, 2010 at 3:21 PM

I have never seen a fossa before. Wow, this is an incredible photo. It is like seeing it in person. I especially like how you focused on the eyes.

Laura Stafford

Registered on November 3, 2009, 52 Posts, 375 Comments