What is Linsang?
[[File:Prionodon linsang - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria - Genoa, Italy - DSC02704.JPG|thumb|300px|right| ''Prionodon linsang'', the banded linsang]] The '''linsangs''' are four [[feliform]] [[species]], two in [[Asia]] and two in [[Africa]]. The whole group was put in the [[Viverridae]] in a subfamily. The two pairs are: The species of [[African linsang]]s are: *''Poiana leightoni'' – Leighton's linsang *''Poiana richardsonii'' – African linsang The species of [[Asiatic linsang]]s are: *''Prionodon linsang'' – Banded linsang *''Prionodon pardicolor'' – Spotted linsang [[DNA analysis]] shows: # the African linsangs (''Poiana'') are true viverrids closely related to the [[genet]]. # the Asiatic linsangs (''Prionodon'') are not, and may be the closest living relatives of the [[Felidae]] family.<ref>Gaubert, Philippe and Veron, Geraldine 2013. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050302185702/http://iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/mvpsg/pdf/Biblio/Gaubert_Veron_2003.pdf 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]]''.</ref> Discovering this, the Asiatic linsangs are now put into a family of their own. They are not viverrids. Therefore, the similarities between the two genera of linsangs must be [[convergent evolution|convergent]]. All of them are cat-like in appearance. They are [[nocturnal]], generally [[solitary]] [[arboreal|tree dwellers]]. They are carnivorous, eating [[squirrels]] and other [[rodents]], small [[birds]], [[lizards]] and [[insects]]. Typical size is a little over 30 cm (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. == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Viverrids]] [[Category:Feliformia]]