Potos, Prionodon and Oodectes

Oodectes herpestoides (Wortman 1901; late Paleocene to Middle Eocene) is a smaller sister to extant Potos, the kinkajou, in the LRT. That makes Oodectes an arboreal taxon not far from the origin of the placental 1 clade and thus not far from the origin of Carnivora and Primates.

Earlier Oodectes was aligne with the oreodont, Merycoidodon.

Potos flavus (Schreber 1774) is the extant kinkajou a tropical American relative of the North American raccoon. This fruit-eater has flat molars and a short, primate like muzzle. The tail is prehensile.

Oodectes, known from a partial Eocene skull, appears to be related.

Prionodon linsang (Hardwicke 1821; 35cm + 36cm tail) is the extant banded linsang. This nocturnal predator feeds on birds, snakes and rats. Note the long neck. This is a sister to Mesocyon from the Palaeocene.

Paraenhydrocyon josephi (Wang 1994; originally Temnocyon wallovianus Cope 1881; Early Miocene; 22mya) was a hypercarnivore nesting with Fossa and Eupleres. Based on the angle of the occiput, the nose drops, the face rises, the eyes point more anteriorly, the canines are sabers.

von Schreber JCD 1774. Die Säugethiere vol.1 9 p.pl. 42.

Wang X 1994. Phylogenetic systematics of the Hesperocyoninae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 221: 1–207.

Wortman JL 1901. Studies of Eocene Mammalia in the Marsh Collection, Peabody Museum. The American Journal of Science, series 4 12(70):281-296.

wiki/Oodectes
wiki/Kinkajou – Potos
wikiParaenhydrocyon
wiki/Banded_linsang - Prionodon