Comments on: Fossas and Their Toys http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:31:43 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Lilly http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-464771 Lilly Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:46:00 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-464771 Hello. My daughter is doing a presentation on fossas for her science class. Can you tell me if there is a way that we could use the sound bytes that you have posted on your website? I was hoping to put them into a power point presentation for her, but I can't seem to figure out how to download each sound byte. Also, she had specific questions about the following topics: Are they born in a particular season? What do they use for shelter? Can you explain their social behavior? What is their height? Thank you for your time. <em>Moderator's note: We've forwarded your questions to our Education Department.</em> Hello.

My daughter is doing a presentation on fossas for her science class. Can you tell me if there is a way that we could use the sound bytes that you have posted on your website? I was hoping to put them into a power point presentation for her, but I can’t seem to figure out how to download each sound byte.

Also, she had specific questions about the following topics:

Are they born in a particular season?

What do they use for shelter?

Can you explain their social behavior?

What is their height?

Thank you for your time.

Moderator’s note: We’ve forwarded your questions to our Education Department.

]]> By: Vivian http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-432076 Vivian Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:21:27 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-432076 The boys were having a great time on Sunday! We stopped by just before closing and I got some great movie footage of them playing. A little bird was foolish enough to fly inside and one of the boys made a run at it. The bird got away, but wow are those Fossas fast! One second he was all the way at the top playing with the rope and the next he was on the ground where the bird used to be. Nona was sitting in the sun watching all the fun. What a beauty! Vivian & Jeff The boys were having a great time on Sunday! We stopped by just before closing and I got some great movie footage of them playing. A little bird was foolish enough to fly inside and one of the boys made a run at it. The bird got away, but wow are those Fossas fast! One second he was all the way at the top playing with the rope and the next he was on the ground where the bird used to be.
Nona was sitting in the sun watching all the fun. What a beauty!
Vivian & Jeff

]]> By: Vivian http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-431333 Vivian Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:50:13 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-431333 Thanks for the info Barbara! We'll be back for another visit this weekend. I hope the "boys" don't grow up too fast. I'm looking forward to seeing them all through the summer. Vivian Thanks for the info Barbara!
We’ll be back for another visit this weekend. I hope the “boys” don’t grow up too fast. I’m looking forward to seeing them all through the summer.
Vivian

]]> By: Barbara http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-430255 Barbara Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:26:09 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-430255 Vivian: That's great that you love the fossas so much! They are pretty exciting :) To answer your questions: the three fossas on exhibit in Cat Canyon are a mom (who is named Nona) and her latest litter. They were born off exhibit, back where most of the other fossas live. When the kits were old enough, we pulled the lone female that had been in that exhibit and put our new little family there so everyone could enjoy the fun of young fossas. Pretty soon, those little boys will be old enough to leave mom and move back up to the off-exhibit holding area. Mom will be fine with that, as fossas are very solitary by nature and only get together to breed or when they're with offspring still being raised. There is still a fossa ambassador, Isa, in the Children's Zoo, and he's growing up fast. As I don't work with him directly, I can't tell you too much about him other than that. I believe our total fossa count is 9: 4 females and 5 males. Only some of them have names, but we identify them in our computer system with two numbers, a long one that all zoos will recognize, called an accession number, and a shorter number which is a house number, and specific only to the San Diego Zoo. As I mentioned briefly earlier, we do rotate the fossas on exhibit, putting young families out to enjoy the people or pulling old animals that aren't so agile up to holding where they can sleep in the sun all day. The Wild Animal Park has a young fossa in training for "ambassadorship" as well. His name is Jamba. Those were some great questions. I'm so glad you're interested in these wonderful animals! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask :) Vivian:
That’s great that you love the fossas so much! They are pretty exciting :)
To answer your questions: the three fossas on exhibit in Cat Canyon are a mom (who is named Nona) and her latest litter. They were born off exhibit, back where most of the other fossas live. When the kits were old enough, we pulled the lone female that had been in that exhibit and put our new little family there so everyone could enjoy the fun of young fossas. Pretty soon, those little boys will be old enough to leave mom and move back up to the off-exhibit holding area. Mom will be fine with that, as fossas are very solitary by nature and only get together to breed or when they’re with offspring still being raised.

There is still a fossa ambassador, Isa, in the Children’s Zoo, and he’s growing up fast. As I don’t work with him directly, I can’t tell you too much about him other than that. I believe our total fossa count is 9: 4 females and 5 males. Only some of them have names, but we identify them in our computer system with two numbers, a long one that all zoos will recognize, called an accession number, and a shorter number which is a house number, and specific only to the San Diego Zoo.

As I mentioned briefly earlier, we do rotate the fossas on exhibit, putting young families out to enjoy the people or pulling old animals that aren’t so agile up to holding where they can sleep in the sun all day. The Wild Animal Park has a young fossa in training for “ambassadorship” as well. His name is Jamba.

Those were some great questions. I’m so glad you’re interested in these wonderful animals! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask :)

]]> By: Vivian http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-430015 Vivian Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:39:11 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-430015 We've just recently renewed our membership and discovered the wonderful Fossas! After our first visit we went onto the internet & learned as much as we could about Fossas in general. I'd love to know more about the ones living at the zoo. This post is over a year old so I was hoping you could give me some updated info. There were 3 Fossas in the exibit in Cat Canyon, two of them loooked to be younger and were full of energy and personality. What can you tell me about them? Is there still an ambassador Fossa in the Children's Zoo? How many are currently living at the SD Zoo? Do they all have names? Are the ones on exhibit always the same ones or do they get switched out regularly? Are there any currently at the Wild Animal Park? Thanks for having such a beautiful and fun animal for us to get to know! <em>Moderator's note: We'll try to find out for you. We do know that the fossa in the Children's Zoo is still one of our animal ambassadors and is doing great!</em> We’ve just recently renewed our membership and discovered the wonderful Fossas! After our first visit we went onto the internet & learned as much as we could about Fossas in general. I’d love to know more about the ones living at the zoo.

This post is over a year old so I was hoping you could give me some updated info. There were 3 Fossas in the exibit in Cat Canyon, two of them loooked to be younger and were full of energy and personality. What can you tell me about them? Is there still an ambassador Fossa in the Children’s Zoo? How many are currently living at the SD Zoo? Do they all have names? Are the ones on exhibit always the same ones or do they get switched out regularly? Are there any currently at the Wild Animal Park?

Thanks for having such a beautiful and fun animal for us to get to know!

Moderator’s note: We’ll try to find out for you. We do know that the fossa in the Children’s Zoo is still one of our animal ambassadors and is doing great!

]]> By: Susan (UK) http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-388796 Susan (UK) Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:58:09 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-388796 I absolutely adore the Fossas. I had never heard of them until my daughter and I visited the Children's Zoo back in July and spent ages just watching the kits through the window. We visited them every day for a week and watched the staff trying to keep them from wandering off while they were cleaning the housing area. They are so gorgeous. When I got back home I just had to find out more about them on the internet. The Children's Zoo has to be the best - with Tripod and her gang just over the way from the Fossas, and the huge butterflies and the parrots, the Mouse House and all the other animals. Would I be right to assume that the lovely little hand raised Fossas have been moved to an enclosure now? <em>Moderator's note: The female and one of the males now live in an exhibit on the Zoo's Elephant Mesa. The other male was sent to the Wild Animal Park, where he is in training to become an animal ambassador.</em> I absolutely adore the Fossas. I had never heard of them until my daughter and I visited the Children’s Zoo back in July and spent ages just watching the kits through the window. We visited them every day for a week and watched the staff trying to keep them from wandering off while they were cleaning the housing area. They are so gorgeous. When I got back home I just had to find out more about them on the internet. The Children’s Zoo has to be the best – with Tripod and her gang just over the way from the Fossas, and the huge butterflies and the parrots, the Mouse House and all the other animals.

Would I be right to assume that the lovely little hand raised Fossas have been moved to an enclosure now?

Moderator’s note: The female and one of the males now live in an exhibit on the Zoo’s Elephant Mesa. The other male was sent to the Wild Animal Park, where he is in training to become an animal ambassador.

]]> By: nancy from michigan http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-385610 nancy from michigan Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:34:40 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-385610 thanks moderator! I did go back and read animal bytes on this mammal .I need to remember to check further before asking alot of questions that have already been answered! I am learning though. bear with me as I have only had this computer for a short time and am self taught. I am loving this trip through the zoo and learning alot that I didn't know before all these links and animal bytes!!! I am like a big kid with a new toy even though I am old enough to be retired, which I am!!!!! <em>Moderator's note: No problem. We're glad you've been exploring the San Diego Zoo's Web site and all it has to offer, Nancy. </em> thanks moderator! I did go back and read animal bytes on this mammal .I need to remember to check further before asking alot of questions that have already been answered! I am learning though. bear with me as I have only had this computer for a short time and am self taught. I am loving this trip through the zoo and learning alot that I didn’t know before all these links and animal bytes!!! I am like a big kid with a new toy even though I am old enough to be retired, which I am!!!!!

Moderator’s note: No problem. We’re glad you’ve been exploring the San Diego Zoo’s Web site and all it has to offer, Nancy.

]]> By: nancy from michigan http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/09/fossas-and-their-toys/comment-page-1/#comment-385569 nancy from michigan Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:35:23 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossas-and-their-toys/#comment-385569 I am not very knowledgable about this species. in fact I know nothing about them. can you give out some info. about them and where they are from. they sure are cute! not very big either. life span? litter size? diet? thanks! <em>Moderator's note: There is a link to our Animal Bytes fact sheet on fossas in the blog's first paragraph. Here it is again: </em>http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-fossa.html I am not very knowledgable about this species. in fact I know nothing about them. can you give out some info. about them and where they are from. they sure are cute! not very big either. life span? litter size?
diet? thanks!

Moderator’s note: There is a link to our Animal Bytes fact sheet on fossas in the blog’s first paragraph. Here it is again: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-fossa.html

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