DNA analysis on 29 species showed that "Prionodon" was the sister-group of the family Felidae. So the Asiatic linsangs are put in a family of their own, the Prionodontidae. "Prionodon" is not closely related to the African linsangs, although they look similar, and live a similar life. They are small cat-like carnivores adapted to catching small prey among the trees of a tropical forest. The similarities between the two groups came about by convergent evolution.