Updating the evolutionary history of Carnivora (Mammalia): a new species-level supertree complete with divergence time estimates

Canidae is recovered as an extant family branch in the complete living-carnivoran supertree, whose canid subtree samples dog-like and fox-like lineages; extinct canid radiations and the family’s earliest fossil range are outside that tree’s direct coverage.

The extant-carnivoran supertree recovers Caniformia and its sampled living family branches, but its topology and divergence estimates combine source trees, newly inferred gene trees and fossil calibrations; they are not direct fossil observations.

Felidae forms a sampled family branch in the extant-carnivoran supertree, with its higher feliform relationship revised relative to the earlier supertree; this evidence does not include extinct felid diversity comprehensively or define the family’s origin time.

A species-level supertree assembled from 188 source trees recovers Feliformia among extant Carnivora and resolves its sampled families, while several internal relationships differ from earlier trees; it does not supply a fossil first appearance.

Pinnipedimorpha is used as the atlas route joining fossil pinniped-line evidence to the living seal, sea-lion and walrus branches represented in the carnivoran supertree; the extant tree does not itself resolve all stem pinnipeds or their first appearance.

Ursidae is recovered as one living family branch in the extant-carnivoran supertree, but family crown dates and relationships are estimates assembled from gene trees and calibrations; extinct stem bears are not comprehensively sampled.