Musteloidea
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Musteloidea is a superfamily of carnivoran mammals united by shared characters of the skull and teeth. Musteloids share a common ancestor with the ursoids, the group which includes bears.
The Musteloidea consists of the families Mustelidae (mustelids: weasels), Procyonidae (procyonids: raccoons), Mephitidae (skunks) and possibly Ailuridae (red pandas).
In North America, ursoids and musteloids first appear in the Chadronian (late Eocene). In Europe, ursoids and musteloids first appear in the early Oligocene immediately following the Grande Coupure.
The superfamily Musteloidea may not be a monophyletic group. Some or all of the diagnostic characters could have evolved in to two or more independent radiations from primitive ursoids such as Amphicynodon.
