Asiatic linsang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Asiatic linsang |
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| Spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor) | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Prionodontidae Horsfield, 1822 |
| Subfamily: | Prionodontinae Gray, 1864 |
| Genus: | Prionodon Horsfield, 1822 |
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The Asiatic linsang (Prionodon) is a genus with two species, the banded linsang (Prionodon linsang) and the spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor). They are native to southeast Asia:
DNA analysis on 29 species showed that Prionodon was the sister-group of the family Felidae. So the Asiatic linsangs are put in a family of their own, the Prionodontidae. Prionodon is not closely related to the African linsangs, although they look similar, and live a similar life. They are small cat-like carnivores adapted to catching small prey among the trees of a tropical forest. The similarities between the two groups came about by convergent evolution.
Prionodon is basal to the Feliformia and a sister taxon of the Felidae.
See also
In Spanish: Prionodontidae para niños
