-797x638.jpg "Giant pliocene civet (Civettictis vulpidens)")
Giant pliocene civet (Civettictis vulpidens)
202107202107Civettictis vulpidens an extinct large viverrid from the Pliocene Varswater Formation at Langebaanweg (South Africa, 5.2 Ma). The cladistic analysis demonstrates a sister-group relationship of C. vulpidens sp. nov., with a clade composed of C. leakeyi and the extant African civet, which is morphologically distinct from the extant large Indian civet. Preliminary morphological comparison show that this giant civet was less specialised and larger than the modern African civet and may have played a mesocarnivore role in the South African fauna, like the smaller-sized canine Eucyon khoikhoi from the same locality.
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Civettictis vulpidens an extinct large viverrid from the Pliocene Varswater Formation at Langebaanweg (South Africa, 5.2 Ma). The cladistic analysis demonstrates a sister-group relationship of C. vulpidens sp. nov., with a clade composed of C. leakeyi and the extant African civet, which is morphologically distinct from the extant large Indian civet. Preliminary morphological comparison show that this giant civet was less specialised and larger than the modern African civet and may have played a mesocarnivore role in the South African fauna, like the smaller-sized canine Eucyon khoikhoi from the same locality.
