| Musteloids | |
|---|---|
| Long-tailed Weasel | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Caniformia |
| Superfamily: | Musteloidea Fischer, 1817 |
| Families | |
Musteloidea is a superfamily of carnivoran mammals united by shared characters of the skull and teeth. Musteloids share a common ancestor with the pinnipeds, the group which includes seals.[1]
The Musteloidea consists of the families Ailuridae (red pandas), Mustelidae (mustelids: weasels), Procyonidae (procyonids: raccoons and kin), and Mephitidae (skunks).
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 into two or more independent radiations from primitive ursoids such as Amphicynodon.