Genets are Old World mammals from the order Carnivora, suborder Feliformia, family Viverridae, and subfamily Viverrinae. They are related to civets, linsangs, fossa, and mongooses. The common genet is the only viverrid present in Europe. Almost all species are contained within the genus Genetta, although the Aquatic Genet is sometimes housed in its own genus Osbornictis. Fossils of the genus have been found to date from the Pliocene.