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| rounded protuberance at the end of a bone, place of attachment for ligaments, tendons, and muscles |
| natural division or groove in an organ, as in the brain |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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fossa fos·sa (fŏs'ə)
n. pl. fos·sae (fŏs'ē')
A small longitudinal cavity or depression, as in a bone.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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fossa
largest carnivore native to Madagascar, a catlike forest dweller of the civet family, Viverridae. The fossa grows to a length of about 1.5 metres (5 feet), including a tail about 66 centimetres (26 inches) long, and has short legs and sharp, retractile claws. The fur is close, dense, and grayish to reddish brown. Generally most active at night, the fossa is both terrestrial and arboreal. It usually hunts alone and commonly feeds on birds and lemurs but also preys on livestock. Many legends centre on the fossa; some, such as reports of its savagery, are probably much exaggerated.
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