Remarks on the Messinian carnivores (Mammalia) of Italy

The latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene is a period of remarkable changes in the geography and climate of the circum- Mediterranean area. Terrestrial ecosystems were strongly affected by these changes and several important mammal dispersal events took place during that period. Its geographic position in the Mediterranean region gives Italy a crucial role in the study of Messinian land mammal evolution. Carnivores are poorly represented in Italian Messinian faunal assemblages, but remains of several families are known (Viverridae, Hyaenidae, Felidae, Mustelidae and Canidae) and provide valuable information for the study of the carnivore guild during the important turnover that occurred at the Mio-Pliocene transition.