In the first Madagascar film, the predators that threaten the lemurs are called Foosa.
The Foosa are the principal animal threat in the Madagascar portion of the 2005 animated film. They pursue the lemurs and create danger for King Julien’s group, helping establish the conflict after Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria arrive on the island.
The film uses “Foosa” as the creatures’ name, which is easy to confuse with “fossa,” the name of a real carnivorous mammal native to Madagascar. The real fossa is a solitary predator related to the mongoose family, while the movie’s Foosa are presented as a more stylized and threatening group of creatures.
This spelling distinction matters because many references to the film use the fictionalized form. The Foosa are not one of the New York zoo animals and are not members of the lemur community. Their role is specifically tied to the island setting and the lemurs’ fear of predators.