Who can solve this evolutionary biology riddle?

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

The animal on the right is a ringtail. The one on the left is a ringtail. These animals are not only very similar in appearance but both are nocturnal, adept climbers and have a similar diet (mostly small mammals and birds with fruits, insects and seeds mixed in there). But despite their similarities, the ringtail is more closely related to a dog than it is to the genet while the genet is more closely related to a cat than it is to a ringtail. How could they still have so much in common?

Here's a hint: it's NOT because of convergent evolution.

Updates

7 mo

The answer: cats, dogs, ringtails and genets shared a common ancestor ~45 million years ago (miacis) that looked very much like the genet and ringtail. It's not that these two evolved similar features independently but have barely changed in all that time.

[Lliam]

From Jeannette Hanby at Safazona.

They look alike and act alike but their most recent common ancestor was 60 million years ago, when the “cat-like” carnivores (Feliformia) separated from the “dog-like” Caniformia. From the latter stock evolved the Procyonids in the Americas, which include ringtails, racoons, coatis and kinkajous.

Genets are part of a group called the Viverrids that evolved from Feliformia stock in the Old World. They include genets, civets, and linsangs.

The similarities between ringtails and genets are due to adaptation to similar environments. Convergent evolution.

[exitseven]

He says it is not convergent evolution. That is what I was going to say.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

@exitseven Convergent evolution couldn't really explain the similarities in their facial markings.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

White muzzle tip, black muzzle mid section and white around the eyes.

[Lliam]

@Ad_Quid_Orator. There lots of examples of animals looking similar due to convergent evolution. Take the similarity between the Tazmanian tiger and canines. (It was not related to cats, either).

[exitseven]

Damn, I was going to say convergent evolution. Is it crossbreeding?

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

Nope.