The falanouc has several peculiarities that merit its independent classification.

Nor is it the same as the related-and similarly named-Malagasy carnivore the falanouc, which is also a euplerine.

Within the subfamily, the Falanouc and Malagasy civet are more closely related to each other than to the Fossa.

Nor should it be confused with the very similarly named falanouc (Eupleres goudotii), also known as the Malagasy small-toothed civet.

The falanouc (Eupleres goudotii) is a rare mongoose-like mammal endemic Malagasy euplerid (a family of carnivoran mammals).

Some have retractile or semi-retractile claws (the fossa and the Malagasy civet) and others do not (the Falanouc and Malagasy mongooses).

Family Eupleridae (the "Malagasy carnivorans") includes fossa, falanouc, Malagasy civet and Malagasy mongooses, all of which are restricted to the island of Madagascar.

Together, the fossa and C. spelea form the genus Cryptoprocta within the family Eupleridae, which also includes the other Malagasy carnivorans-the falanouc, the fanalokas, and the Galidiinae.

Its extinction is somewhat anomalous, as other recently extinct Madagascan animals-such as subfossil lemurs, Malagasy hippopotamuses, the giant fossa, and elephantbirds-were generally larger and not exclusively insectivorous; also, some species with likely more specialized diets, such as the falanouc (Eupleres goudoti) and aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), did survive.