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23-597: Civettictis is a genus of viverrid that contains the extant African civet (Civettictis civetta) and a recently described extinct relative from the Plio-Pleistocene of South Africa known as Civettictis braini . A 2006 phylogenetic study showed that the African civet is closely related to the genus Viverra . It was estimated that the Civettictis - Viverra clade diverged from Viverricula around 16.2 Mya ;

46-433: A carnivoran is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Viverrid Viverridae is a family of small to medium-sized, feliform mammals . The viverrids ( / v aɪ ˈ v ɛ r ɪ d z / ) comprise 33 species placed in 14 genera . This family was named and first described by John Edward Gray in 1821. Viverrids occur all over Africa , southern Europe , and South and Southeast Asia , across

69-431: A common ancestor . The shape and size of sectorial teeth of different carnivorous animals vary depending on diet, illustrated by the comparisons of bear ( Ursus ) carnassials with those of a leopard ( Panthera ). Bears, being omnivores , have a flattened, more blunt carnassial pair than leopards. This reflects the bear's diet, as the flattened carnassials are useful both in slicing meat and grinding up vegetation, whereas

92-469: A definite groove or, when rarely this is obliterated, by the depression of the tympanic bone in front of the swollen entotympanic. The typical dental formula is: 3.1.4.2 3.1.4.2 , but the number may be reduced, although never to the same extent as in the Felidae. Their flesh-shearing carnassial teeth are relatively undeveloped compared to those of other feliform carnivorans. Most viverrid species have

115-426: A penis bone (a baculum ). In 1821, Gray defined this family as consisting of the genera Viverra , Genetta , Herpestes , and Suricata . Reginald Innes Pocock later redefined the family as containing a great number of highly diversified genera, and being susceptible of division into several subfamilies , based mainly on the structure of the feet and of some highly specialized scent glands , derived from

138-446: A result, the blunt, rounded cusps on its molars had a much more difficult time reducing meat. Likewise, neither members of Oxyclaenidae nor Arctocyonidae had carnassial teeth. On the other hand, carnivorous marsupials have teeth of a carnassial form. Both the living Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) and the recently extinct Tasmanian wolf ( Thylacinus cynocephalus ) possessed modified molars to allow for shearing, although

161-681: Is a member of the Eupleridae . The African palm civet ( Nandinia binotata ) resembles the civets of the Viverridae, but is genetically distinct and belongs in its own monotypic family, the Nandiniidae . There is little dispute that the Poiana species are viverrids. DNA analysis based on 29 carnivoran species, comprising 13 Viverrinae species and three species representing Paradoxurus , Paguma and Hemigalinae , confirmed Pocock's assumption that

184-418: Is applied to a member of the order Carnivora . Carnivorans possess a common arrangement of teeth called carnassials, in which the first lower molar and the last upper premolar possess blade-like enamel crowns that act similar to a pair of shears for cutting meat. This dental arrangement has been modified by adaptation over the past 60 million years for diets composed of meat, for crushing vegetation, or for

207-504: Is created by the movement between the carnassial pair when the jaw occludes. The inside of the fourth upper pre-molar closely passes by the outer surface of the first lower molar, thus allowing the sharp cusps of the carnassial teeth to slice through meat. The length and size of the carnassial teeth vary between species, taking into account factors such as: The fossil record indicates the presence of carnassial teeth 50 million years ago, implying that Carnivora family members descend from

230-624: The Wallace Line . Almost all viverrids outside the subfamily Genettinae are commonly called civets. The species of the subfamily Genettinae are known as genets and oyans . The word viverridae comes from the Latin viverra ' ferret ', but ferrets are in a different family, the Mustelidae . Viverrids have four or five toes on each foot and half-retractile claws . They have six incisors in each jaw and molars with two tubercular grinders behind in

253-399: The lower jaw bones, and by the shorter limbs and the five-toed hind foot with the first digit present. The skull differs by the position of the postpalatine foramina on the maxilla , almost always well in advance of the maxillopalatine suture , and usually about the level of the second premolar ; and by the distinct external division of the auditory bulla into its two elements either by

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276-539: The African civet split from Viverra 12.3 Mya. The authors suggested that the subfamily Viverrinae should be bifurcated into Genettinae ( Poiana and Genetta ) and Viverrinae ( Civettictis , Viverra and Viverricula ). The following cladogram is based on this study. Small Indian civet ( Viverricula indica ) African civet ( Civettictis civetta ) Large Indian civet ( Viverra zibetha ) Large-spotted civet ( V. megaspila ) Malayan civet ( V. tangalunga ) Genetta Poiana This article about

299-1732: The African linsang Poiana represents the sister group of the genus Genetta . The placement of Prionodon as the sister group of the family Felidae is strongly supported, and it was proposed that the Asiatic linsangs be placed in the monogeneric family Prionodontidae . The phylogenetic relationships of Viverridae are shown in the following cladogram: Golden palm civet P. zeylonensis Jerdon's palm civet P. jerdoni Asian palm civet P. hermaphroditus Sulawesi palm civet M. musschenbroekii Masked palm civet P. larvata Binturong A. binturong Small-toothed palm civet A. trivirgata Otter civet C. bennettii Owston's palm civet C. owstoni Hose's palm civet D. hosei Banded palm civet H. derbyanus Malabar large-spotted civet V. civettina Large-spotted civet V. megaspila Large Indian civet V. zibetha Malayan civet V. tangalunga [REDACTED] African civet C. civetta [REDACTED] Small Indian civet V. indica West African oyan P. leightoni Central African oyan P. richardsonii Abyssinian genet G. abyssinica Haussa genet G. thierryi Giant forest genet G. victoriae Johnston's genet G. johnstoni Aquatic genet G. piscivora Servaline genet G. servalina Crested servaline genet G. cristata South African small-spotted genet G. felina Common genet G. genetta Cape genet G. tigrina Letaba genet G. letabae Schouteden's genet G. schoutedeni Rusty-spotted genet G. maculata Angolan genet G. angolensis Pardine genet G. pardina Bourlon's genet G. bourloni King genet G. poensis Carnassial The name carnivoran

322-456: The Tasmanian wolf, the larger of the two, had dentition more similar to the dog. The Pleistocene marsupial lion ( Thylacoleo carnifex ) had massive carnassial molars. A recent study concludes that these teeth produced the strongest bite of any known land mammal in history. Moreover, these carnassial molars appear to have been used, unlike in any other known mammal, to inflict the killing blow to

345-441: The carnassial teeth pairs are found on either side of the jaw and are composed of the fourth upper pre-molar and the first lower molar (P4/m1). The location these carnassial pairs is determined primarily by the masseter muscle . In this position, the carnassial teeth benefit from most of the force generated by this mastication muscle, allowing for efficient shearing and cutting of flesh, tendon and muscle. The scissor-like motion

368-596: The carnassials are the sole shearing teeth, in the creodonts other molars have a subordinate shearing function. The fact that the two lineages developed carnassials from different types of teeth has been used as evidence against the validity of Creodonta as a clade. Modern carnivorous bats generally lack true carnassial teeth, but the extinct Necromantis had particularly convergent teeth, in particular M1 and M2, which bore expanded heels and broad stylar shelves. These were particularly suited for crushing over an exclusively slicing action. Though not superficially similar,

391-532: The leopard's sharp carnassial pairs are more adapted for its hypercarnivorous diet. During the Late Pleistocene – early Holocene a now extinct hypercarnivorous wolf ecomorph existed that was similar in size to a large extant gray wolf but with a shorter, broader palate and with large carnassial teeth relative to its overall skull size. This adaptation allowed the megafaunal wolf to predate and scavenge on Pleistocene megafauna . Wear and cracking of

414-537: The loss of the carnassial function altogether found in pinnipeds . Carnassial teeth are modified molars (and in the case of carnivorans premolars) which are adapted to allow for the shearing (rather than tearing) of flesh to permit the more efficient consumption of meat. These modifications are not limited to the members of the order Carnivora, but are seen in a number of different mammal groups. Not all carnivorous mammals, however, developed carnassial teeth. Mesonychids , for example, had no carnassial adaptations, and as

437-409: The prey by severing the spinal cord, crushing the windpipe or severing a major artery. Like these true marsupials, the closely related borhyaenids of South America had three carnassial teeth involving the first three upper molars (M1-M3) and the second through fourth lower molars (m2-m4). In the borhyaenids the upper carnassials appear to have been rotated medially around the anterior-posterior axis of

460-641: The skin, which are present in most of the species and are situated in the region of the external generative organs. He subordinated the subfamilies Hemigalinae , Paradoxurinae , Prionodontinae , and Viverrinae to the Viverridae. In 1833, Edward Turner Bennett described the Malagasy fossa ( Cryptoprocta ferox ) and subordinated the Cryptoprocta to the Viverridae. A molecular and morphological analysis based on DNA /DNA hybridization experiments suggests that Cryptoprocta does not belong within Viverridae, but

483-407: The tooth row in order to maintain tight occlusional contact between the upper and lower shearing teeth. Creodonts have two or three pairs of carnassial teeth, but only one pair performed the cutting function: either M1/m2 or M2/m3, depending on the family. In Oxyaenidae , it is M1 and m2 that form the carnassials. Among the hyaenodontids it is M2 and m3. Unlike most modern carnivorans, in which

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506-607: The triconodont teeth of some early mammals such as eutriconodonts are thought to have had a function similar to those of carnassials, sharing a similar shearing function. Eutriconodonts possess several speciations towards animalivory, and the larger forms such as Repenomamus , Gobiconodon and Jugulator probably fed on vertebrate prey. Similarly the "tooth lips" of clevosaurid sphenodontians such as Clevosaurus are described as "carnassial-like". A lineage of pycnodont fish also developed carnassials eerily convergent with those of modern carnivorans. In modern carnivorans

529-459: The upper jaw, and one in the lower jaw. The tongue is rough with sharp prickles. A pouch or gland occurs beneath the anus, but there is no cecum . Viverrids are the most primitive of all the families of feliform Carnivora and clearly less specialized than the Felidae . In external characteristics, they are distinguished from the Felidae by the longer muzzle and tuft of facial vibrissae between

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