Herpestoidea

Herpestoidea
Temporal range: 29.51–0 Ma Oligocene – Present[1]
 Top to bottom: Fossa, spotted hyena, Indian grey mongoose
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Parvorder: Viverroidea
Superfamily: Herpestoidea
Bonaparte, 1845
Families
See text
Synonyms
Hyaenoidea

Herpestoidea is a superfamily of mammalia carnivores which includes mongooses,[2] Malagasy carnivorans[3] and the hyenas.

Herpestoids, with the exception of the hyenas, have a cylindrical and elongated body, which allows them to get into holes to catch prey.[2] Herpestoids are feliforms and several of them specialize in hunting animals bigger than they are.[4]

They live throughout Eurasia, Africa and the island of Madagascar.[4]

  1. ^ Zhou, Y.; Wang, S.-R.; Ma, J.-Z. (2017). "Comprehensive species set revealing the phylogeny and biogeography of Feliformia (Mammalia, Carnivora) based on mitochondrial DNA". PLOS ONE. 12 (3): e0174902. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1274902Z. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174902. PMC 5373635. PMID 28358848.
  2. ^ a b Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Family Herpestidae". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 562–571. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ^ Wozencraft, 2005, pp. 560–561
  4. ^ a b Smith, S. All about Herpestoidea. pp. 150–231. Retrieved 08.31.2018