Miacids
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Extinct (fossil)
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The miacids were primitive carnivores which lived during the Paleocene and Eocene Epoch. During the Eocene, the miacids evolved into the modern carnivores.
The 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, bears, raccoons and weasels), while the Viverravidae evolved into the feliforms (cats, hyaenas and mongooses).
Order Carnivora
- 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
- Genus Ailurus
- Superfamily Feliformia or Feloidea
- Family Eupleridae
- Family Felidae
- Family Herpestidae
- Family Hyaenidae
- Family Viverridae
- Genus Nandinia
- Genus Prionodon
