''Plesictis'' is an extinct prehistoric genus of

mustelid The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family ...

(originally described as a

procyonid Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It comprises the raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous. Characteri ...

) endemic to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

during the Oligocene and

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

33.9—20.0 Ma existing for approximately .PaleoBiology Database: ''Plesictis'', basic info
/ref> ''Plesictis'' was a long animal, resembling a weasel with large eyes, or possibly a

cacomistle The cacomistle (; ''Bassariscus sumichrasti'') is a nocturnal, arboreal and omnivorous member of the carnivoran family Procyonidae. Its preferred habitats are wet, tropical, evergreen woodlands and mountain forests, though seasonally it wil ...

. Its large eyes and very long tail suggest that it may have been nocturnal and arboreal. Judging from its

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...

, it was an omnivore.

References

Prehistoric mustelids Oligocene carnivorans Miocene mustelids Oligocene mammals of Europe Fossil taxa described in 1846 Miocene mammals of Europe Prehistoric carnivoran genera {{paleo-carnivora-stub