[1] Mammalian taxonomy is in constant flux as many new species are described and recategorized within their respective genera and families.
The order Carnivora is represented by 16 families of mostly carnivorous and omnivorous mammals found worldwide terrestrially and in marine waters of the poles and some areas of the tropics.
Divided into two large suborders, Caniformia (Canidae, Ursidae, Ailuridae, Procyonidae, Mephitidae, Mustelidae, Pinnipedia, Otariidae, Phocidae, and Odobenidae) and Feliformia (Nandiniidae, Felidae, Prionodontidae, Viverridae, Hyaenidae, Herpestidae, and Eupleridae), the order contains about 289 recognized species, along with 4 recently extinct species, one of which is included in its own monotypic genus, Dusicyon.
The order Dasyuromorphia (meaning "hairy tail") comprises most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials, including quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, the Tasmanian devil, and the thylacine.
In the past, various authors proposed to place treeshrews in the ordinal rank Insectivora, or considered them close relatives of primates.