Miacoidea
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Extinct (fossil)
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The extinct superfamily Miacoidea is divided in two families of old carnivores s: Miacidae and Viverravidae. They were primitive carnivores which lived during the Paleocene and Eocene Epoch about 33-65 million years ago.
Miacids were most of all small marten-like carnivores. They probably fed on invertebrates, lizards, birds and smaller mammals like shrews and opossums. Some species were arboreal, others lived on the ground. Their teeth and skull show that the miacids were less developed than the modern carnivores.
[edit] Classification
The superfamily Miacoidea can be divided into two families: the Miacidae and the Viverravidae. The Miacidae evolved into the caniforms (dogs, bear-dogs, bears, raccoons and weasels), while the Viverravidae evolved into the feliforms (cats, hyaenas and mongooses).
- Order Carnivoramorpha (basal to Carnivora but without Creodontes)
- Superfamily †Miacoidea
- Family †Miacidae
- genera: Chailicyon, Eostictis, Ictognathus, Miacis, Miocyon, Oodectes, Palaearctonyx, Paramiacis, Paroodectes, Prodaphaemus, Tapocyon, Uintacyon, Vassacyon, Vulpavus, Xinyuictis, Ziphacodon
- Family †Viverravidae
- genera: Bryanictis, Didymictis, Ictidopappus, Mustelodon, Pristinictis, Protictis, Raphictis, Simpsonictis, Viverravus, Quergygale
- Family †Miacidae
- Superfamily Caniformia or Canoidea
- Family †Amphicyonidae
- Family Canidae
- Family Mephitidae
- Family Mustelidae
- Family Odobenidae
- Family Otariidae
- Family Phocidae
- Family Procyonidae
- Family Ursidae
- Family Ailuridae
- Superfamily Feliformia or Feloidea
- Family Eupleridae
- Family Felidae
- Family Herpestidae
- Family Hyaenidae
- Family Viverridae
- Family Nandiniidae
- Genus Nandinia (African Palm Civet)
- Family Prionodontidae (Linsangs)
- Genus Prionodon
- Superfamily †Miacoidea
