Carnivores
The Carnivora
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The carnivores appear to have evolved from a common ancestor which lived about 55 million years ago. In the course of that 55 million years they have diversified into two major groups, the Arctoidea, or bear-like carnivores, and the Aeluroidea, or cat-like carnivores.
Each of these groups is divided into a number of families, some of which are placed in different orders by some authors:
Not all authorities agree on the above groupings; e.g. some would consider the Nimravidae to be separate from the two groups, but as an indication of the relationship between cats and other carnivores it is a good approximation.
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