Uncommon · Nature

Viverravidae

Family of extinct placental mammals

Viverravidae ("ancestors of viverrids") is an extinct monophyletic family of mammals from extinct superfamily Viverravoidea within the clade Pan-Carnivora, that lived from the early Palaeocene to the late Eocene in North America, Europe and Asia. They were once thought to be the earliest carnivorans and ancestral to extant ones, but now are placed outside the order Carnivora based on cranial morphology as relatives (a plesion-group) to extant carnivorans.

From Wikipedia

Viverravidae ("ancestors of viverrids") is an extinct monophyletic family of mammals from extinct superfamily Viverravoidea within the clade Pan-Carnivora, that lived from the early Palaeocene to the late Eocene in North America, Europe and Asia. They were once thought to be the earliest carnivorans and ancestral to extant ones, but now are placed outside the order Carnivora based on cranial morphology as relatives (a plesion-group) to extant carnivorans. More recent analysis suggest a placement outside of the clade containing hyaenodonts, oxyaenids, and carnivoraformes.

Text: Wikipédia, CC BY-SA 4.0. · Image: W. D. Matthew (Public domain) ·

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