The linsangs are four species of tree-dwelling carnivorous

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...

. The name of these species originated in the

Javanese language Javanese (, , ; , Aksara Jawa: , Pegon: , IPA: ) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, Indonesia. There are also pockets of Javanese speakers on the nort ...

as ''linsang'' or ''wlinsang'', and previously, was translated incorrectly in English dictionaries as " otter". The two African species belong to the family

Viverridae Viverridae is a family (biology), family of small to medium-sized, feliform mammals. The viverrids () comprise 33 species placed in 14 genera. This family was named and first described by John Edward Gray in 1821. Viverrids occur all over Africa, ...

and the two Asiatic species belong to the family

Prionodontidae The Asiatic linsang (''Prionodon'') is a genus comprising two species native to Southeast Asia: the banded linsang (''Prionodon linsang'') and the spotted linsang (''Prionodon pardicolor''). ''Prionodon'' is considered a sister taxon of the Fel ...

. Formerly, both linsang genera (the African ''Poiana'' and the Asian ''

Prionodon The Asiatic linsang (''Prionodon'') is a genus comprising two species native to Southeast Asia: the banded linsang (''Prionodon linsang'') and the spotted linsang (''Prionodon pardicolor''). ''Prionodon'' is considered a sister taxon of the Fel ...

'') were placed in the subfamily

Viverrinae The Viverrinae represent the largest subfamily within the Viverridae comprising five genera, which are subdivided into 22 species native to Africa and Southeast Asia. This subfamily was denominated and first described by John Edward Gray in 1864 ...

(of Viverridae), along with several other genera, but recent research suggests that their relationships may be somewhat different. The linsangs are remarkable for their morphological resemblance to

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

s, family Felidae, 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 is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats (large and small), hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Canifor ...

), this was considered an example of

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...

. DNA analysis indicates that while the African linsangs (''Poiana'') are true viverrids closely related to the genets, the Asiatic linsangs (''Prionodon'') are not, and instead, may be the closest living relatives of the family Felidae.Philippe Gaubert and Geraldine Veron,
Exhaustive sample set among Viverridae reveals the sister-group of felids: the linsangs as a case of extreme morphological convergence within Feliformia
, ''

The Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...

'' (October 15, 2003). Thus the similarities between Asiatic linsangs and cats are more likely to be due to common ancestry, while the similarities between the two genera of linsangs must be convergent. Linsangs are nocturnal, generally solitary tree dwellers. They are carnivorous, eating squirrels and other rodents, small birds, lizards, and insects. Their typical size is a little longer than 30 cm (1 foot) with a tail that is more than double that length. Their bodies are long, with short legs, giving a low appearance. Both species have yellowish bodies with black markings that include stripes, blotches, and spots, although the distribution and nature of the markings varies between the two species. They may visually be confused for a

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...

, which also has a wide range of markings. The species of African linsangs are: *''Poiana leightoni'' - Leighton's linsang *''Poiana richardsonii'' - African linsang The species of

Asiatic linsang The Asiatic linsang (''Prionodon'') is a genus comprising two species native to Southeast Asia: the banded linsang (''Prionodon linsang'') and the spotted linsang (''Prionodon pardicolor''). ''Prionodon'' is considered a sister taxon of the F ...

s are: *''Prionodon linsang'' -

banded linsang The banded linsang (''Prionodon linsang'') is a linsang, a tree-dwelling carnivorous mammal native to the Sundaic region of Southeast Asia. Description The banded linsang grows to , with a long tail that can reach . It is a pale yellow with f ...

*''Prionodon pardicolor'' -

spotted linsang The spotted linsang (''Prionodon pardicolor'') is a linsang, a tree-dwelling carnivorous mammal, native to much of Southeast Asia. It is widely, though usually sparsely, recorded, and listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Characterist ...

References

{{Reflist Carnivorans Mammal common names