Knowra Musteloidea Musteloidea Musteloidea is a superfamily of caniform mammals containing the weasel family, skunks, red pandas, and raccoon relatives. Its living members share ancestry but vary widely in size, diet, and lifestyle.
Mustelidae : A diverse mammal family including weasels, otters, badgers, martens, and wolverines. This is the largest and most varied family within Musteloidea.
Molecular phylogenetics : The reconstruction of evolutionary relationships using DNA, RNA, or protein sequences. Sequence comparisons help test relationships among the four musteloid families.
Miacidae : An extinct assemblage of small carnivorous mammals once treated as ancestral to modern Carnivora. Miacid fossils feature in older accounts of the deep ancestry of carnivorans.
Canidae : A mammal family including dogs, wolves, foxes, and their relatives. Canids are caniforms, but they belong to a separate lineage outside Musteloidea.
Mephitidae : A mammal family comprising skunks and stink badgers. Skunks form a distinct musteloid family, rather than belonging to Mustelidae.
Phylogenetics : The study of evolutionary relationships among organisms and the patterns of their ancestry. Musteloidea's membership is a hypothesis about shared evolutionary ancestry.
Musteloid fossil record : The fossil evidence for extinct members and relatives of Musteloidea. These fossils trace musteloid diversity beyond the four living families.
Ursidae : A mammal family comprising bears and giant pandas. Bears share the caniform branch with musteloids but are not part of the superfamily.
Ailuridae : A mammal family represented today by the red panda. The red panda is the sole living member of this musteloid family.
Carnivoran phylogeny : The evolutionary history and branching relationships of the order Carnivora. Its branching framework places Musteloidea among the caniform lineages.
Show all 21