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The Asiatic linsangs are two species classified in the mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
ian subfamily Prionodontinae, in the family Viverridae. There is one Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
n genus, Prionodon.

Both linsang
Linsang

The Asiatic linsangs are two species classified in the mammalian subfamily Prionodontinae, in the family Viverridae. There is one Southeast Asian genus, Prionodon....
 genera (Prionodon and the African Poiana) formerly were placed in the subfamily Viverrinae
Viverrinae

Viverrinae is a subfamily of family Viverridae....
 (of Viverridae), along with several other genera, but recent research suggests that their actual relationships may be somewhat different.






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The Asiatic linsangs are two species classified in the mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
ian subfamily Prionodontinae, in the family Viverridae. There is one Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
n genus, Prionodon.

Both linsang
Linsang

The Asiatic linsangs are two species classified in the mammalian subfamily Prionodontinae, in the family Viverridae. There is one Southeast Asian genus, Prionodon....
 genera (Prionodon and the African Poiana) formerly were placed in the subfamily Viverrinae
Viverrinae

Viverrinae is a subfamily of family Viverridae....
 (of Viverridae), along with several other genera, but recent research suggests that their actual relationships may be somewhat different. The linsangs are remarkable for their morphological resemblance to cat
Cat

The cat , also known as the Domestication cat or house cat to distinguish it from other Felinae and Felidae, is a small predationy carnivore species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, scorpions, and other unwanted household pests....
s, family Felidae
Felidae

Felidae is the family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the most strictly Carnivore of the sixteen mammal families in the order Carnivora....
, which is greater than in the other viverrids. As the relationship between linsangs and cats was thought to be rather distant (the two groups belonging to different families within the superfamily Feliformia
Feliformia

The Feliformia are a suborder within the order Carnivora and includes the 'true-cats' , hyenas, mongooses, civets and related taxa. The other suborder of Carnivora is Caniformia ....
), this was considered an example of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
. However, DNA analysis indicates that while the African linsangs (Poiana) are true viverrids closely related to the genet
Genet (animal)

Genets are Old World carnivores of the family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. All species are contained within the genus Genetta, although the Aquatic Genet, is sometimes housed in its own genus Osbornictis....
s, the Asiatic linsangs (Prionodon) are not and may instead be the closest living relatives of the Felidae
Felidae

Felidae is the family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the most strictly Carnivore of the sixteen mammal families in the order Carnivora....
 family. The similarities between Asiatic linsangs and cats are thus more likely to be due to common ancestry, while the similarities between the two genera of linsangs must be convergent.

The name linsang is from Javanese
Javanese language

Javanese is the language of the people in the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java....
 linsang or wlinsang, which used to be wrongly translated as "otter
Otter

Otters are semi-aquatic fish-eating mammals. The otter Rank Lutrinae forms part of the Family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, as well as others....
" in English dictionaries. Linsangs are nocturnal, generally solitary tree dwellers. They are carnivorous, eating squirrels and other rodents, small birds, lizards and insects. Typical size is a little over 30cm (1 foot), with a tail that more than doubles that length. Bodies are long, with short legs, giving a low appearance. All species have yellowish bodies with black markings (stripes, blotches and spots), though the distribution and nature of the markings varies between species.

The species of Asiatic linsang are:
  • Prionodon linsang - Banded Linsang
    Banded Linsang

    The Banded Linsang is a linsang of Western Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Thailand, and Indonesia....
  • Prionodon pardicolor - Spotted Linsang
    Spotted Linsang

    The Spotted Linsang is a linsang found in the forests of the central and eastern Himalaya. It is short, light coloured, and has a slender body with a pointed head and small limbs....


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