Traditionally , the Viverravidae ( viverravids ) had been thought to be the earliest carnivorans , with fossil records first appearing in the Paleocene of North America about 60 million years ago .
Recent cranial morphology evidence now places viverravids outside the order Carnivora .
Traditionally , the Viverravidae ( viverravids ) had been thought to be the earliest carnivorans , with fossil records first appearing in the Paleocene of North America about 60 million years ago , but recent cranial morphology evidence now places them outside the order Carnivora .