Cryptoprocta
|cryp-to-proc-ta|
🇺🇸
/ˌkrɪptəˈprɑktə/
🇬🇧
/ˌkrɪptəˈprɒktə/
hidden hindpart (genus name)
Etymology
'Cryptoprocta' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the words 'kryptos' and 'proktos', where 'kryptos' meant 'hidden' and 'proktos' meant 'hindpart' or 'anus'.
'Cryptoprocta' was coined as a New Latin (scientific) genus name in the 19th century to describe this group of Malagasy carnivores and has been used in taxonomic literature since then to denote the genus that includes the fossa ('Cryptoprocta ferox').
Initially the elements referred to a morphological notion of a 'hidden hindpart'; over time the compound has become a fixed scientific name used to denote the genus rather than to describe that anatomical feature.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of carnivorous mammals native to Madagascar; most notably includes the species Cryptoprocta ferox, commonly called the fossa.
Cryptoprocta ferox (a member of the genus Cryptoprocta) is the largest native carnivore of Madagascar.
Last updated: 2026/01/03 14:17