Recent molecular studies indicate that the 10 living species of Madagascar carnivorans evolved from one ancestor that is thought to have rafted over from mainland Africa 18–24 million years ago.

[3] Historically, the relationships of the Madagascar carnivorans have been contentious, but molecular evidence suggests that they form a single clade, now recognized as the family Eupleridae.

Palaeoprionodon (within the clade Aeluroidea), found in Europe and Asia from the late Eocene or early Oligocene, looked similar to the modern fossa, while Proailurus, an extinct form of cat, exhibited many viverrid-like characteristics.

However, the genetic studies by Yoder and colleagues in 2003 suggested that a single colonization event occurred by a primitive herpestid ancestor, which was quickly followed by adaptive radiation.

[8][10] The phylogenetic relationships of Malagasy carnivorans (Eupleridae) are shown in the following cladogram:[4] Cryptoprocta ferox (Fossa) †Cryptoprocta spelea (Giant fossa) Fossa fossana (Malagasy civet) Eupleres major (Western falanouc) Eupleres goudotii (Eastern falanouc) Galidia elegans (Ring-tailed vontsira) Galidictis fasciata (Broad-striped vontsira) Galidictis grandidieri (Grandidier's mongoose) Salanoia durrelli (Durrell's vontsira) Salanoia concolor (Brown-tailed vontsira) Mungotictis decemlineata (Narrow-striped mongoose)