Mustelodon is an extinct carnivore

Carnivora

The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...

, which belongs to the family Viverravidae. This genus contains only one species, Mustelodon primerus. Fossils of this mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

 were found in the 57 million years old deposits of Lago Nandarajo, near the northern border of Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

 in Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

.

Mustelodon had a length of approximately 80 cm (head to tail) and this carnivore

Carnivore

A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...

 superficially resembled the modern mongooses. Mustelodon fed on fruits, insects and smaller mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s like shrews. It is closely related to the more famous Protictis from the Paleocene of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

(Wannagan Creek - South Dakota, San Juan Basin - New Mexico).