![]() ![]() Least weasels ( Mustela nivalis), the smallest carnivores, can weigh as little as 35 grams, and male southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina), the largest carnivores, can weigh more than 3,600 kg. ![]() However, as a group, carnivores span a wide range of body sizes. ( Stains, 1984 Vaughan, et al., 2000)Ĭarnivores tend to be medium-sized animals too small and they couldn't find enough within their capacity to kill too large and they wouldn't be able to satisfy their appetites. The cheek teeth are usually homodont (no differentiation along the toothrow), and the teeth are usually shaped like simple cones. ![]() Most species have a relatively short rostrum, and the orbits are large. In both, the proximal limb elements (humerus and femur) remain within the body, and other aspects of the limbs, limb girdles, and spine are highly specialized for swimming. The forelimbs and hindlimbs are transformed into paddles. In all species, the external ears are small or absent, the external genitalia and nipples are hidden in slits or depressions in the body, and the tail is very small. Their bodies are insulated by a thick layer of fat called blubber. Pinnipeds are large, perhaps because water conducts heat well and large animals have a low surface area to body mass ratio, which minimizes heat loss due to conduction. All members of Carnivora have simple stomachs. Carnivores are fairly intelligent animals and most have relatively large brains. TheĪuditory bullae and the turbinals also tend to be large and complex. Zygomatic arch and a relatively large braincase. Sagittal crest associated with the temporal is commonly a conspicuous part of the surface of the skull. The primary muscle powering the jaw is the temporal, and ![]() Transverse glenoid fossa, and the dominant motion of the jaw is in the dorsal-ventral direction. The skulls of carnivorans are varied in form. The number of teeth behind the carnassials varies considerably, from 1/1 in some cats to 2/2 in bears. The outer (3rd) incisor is often relatively large and canine-like. ( Stains, 1984 Vaughan, et al., 2000)īesides usually having carnassials, almost all Carnivora retain the primitive number of incisors (3/3) an exception is the sea otter, which has 2/3. The exceptions are a few forms, such as bears, raccoons, and seals, in which these teeth are secondarily modified. These teeth are referred to as the carnassial pair. Molar, which together form an efficient shear for cutting meat and tendon. Most members of the order Carnivora can be recognized by their enlarged fourth upper Aquatic and semi-aquatic species live in freshwater rivers, lakes, and marshes, in marine coastal areas, and in the open ocean. They live in forests, deserts, mountains, grasslands, scrublands, tundra, and on open ice. ( Stains, 1984 Vaughan, et al., 2000)Ĭarnivores occupy just about every type of terrestrial habitat, and many aquatic habitats as well, from the tropics to the poles. ( Stains, 1984 Vaughan, et al., 2000) Geographic RangeĬarnivores are distributed across the world, on all major land masses (except possibly Australia, where the only terrestrial member of Carnivora, dingos ( Canis lupus dingo), may have been brought by man) and in all oceans. We recognize 13 extant families and around 270 species of Carnivora. Members of Carnivora have diverse food habits, although many are primarily carnivorous, and carnivory is widely distributed in mammals, being found in many other orders including bats, marsupial mammals, primates, and dolphins and whales. The name "Carnivora" is sometimes taken to mean that members of this group are all carnivorous or that all carnivorous mammals are members of this group. Members of the mammalian order Carnivora are the descendants of a successful late Paleocene radiation of mammals whose primitive food habits were carnivorous. ![]()
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