Ursoidea
Ursoidea
Superfamily of mammals
Ursoidea is a superfamily of arctoid carnivoran mammals that includes the families Subparictidae,[1][2] Amphicynodontidae,[3][2] and Ursidae. The last family includes the extant lineages of bears, as well as the extinct Hemicyoninae[4][5] and Ursavinae.[6]
The interrelationships of ursoids has had slight arrangements. In the past it was thought the extinct Amphicyonidae were stem-bears based on morphological analysis of the ear region,[7] though the most recent publications on early amphicyonids suggests they were basal caniforms.[8][9][10]
The amphicynodontids are sometimes classified as either a subfamily of bears,[3] a paraphyletic assemblage of early bears,[2] or even stem-pinnipeds.[11][12][13] The subparictids were previously classified as amphicynodontine/ids.[2] The hemicyonines have been occasionally reclassified as a separate family.[14]