Aeluroidea Temporal range: Oligocene |
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Conservation status | |
Fossil
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Superfamily: | Aeluroidea |
Aeluroidea is an extant and extinct superfamily of feline-like carnivores which are or were endemic to North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. They appeared during the Oligocene about 33.3 million years ago.[1]
This superfamily includes extant families of: Felidae (cats), Herpestidae (mongoose), Hyaenidae, Nandinia (civet) and the extinct Africanictis, Anictis, Asiavorator, Haplogale, Herpestides, Mioprionodon, Moghradictis, Palaeoprionodon, Proailurus, Shandgolictis, Stenogale, and Stenoplesictis.
Aeluroidea was named by Flower (1869). It is extant. It was assigned to Carnivora by Flower (1883) and Carroll (1988); and to Feliformia by Bryant (1991).[2][3][4]