Caniformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of “dog-like” carnivorans. They include dogs (wolves, foxes, etc.), bears, raccoons, and mustelids. The Pinnipedia (seals, walruses and sea lions) also belong to this group.

Pinnipeds’ closest living relatives are musteloids (weasels, raccoons, skunks and red pandas), having diverged about 50 million years ago.