CARNIVORA, broadly, those animals which prey upon other animals; but in a re stricted sense, that order of mammals more or less adapted for predatory life and including most animals popularly called beasts of prey. To this order the cat, dog, bear and seal be long. The head is small in proportion to the hulk of the body, and the skin is well covered with hair. The limbs, four in number, are fully developed, and are adapted either for walking or swimming. Two sets of teeth, de ciduous or milk and permanent, are always de veloped in succession, and in both sets incisors, canines and molars, are distinguishable. The order is divided into two groups, the Fissipedia, which include such animals as the lion, wolf, bear, etc., whose life is terrestrial; and the Pinnipedia, or those which are specially adapted for aquatic life. The Carnivora are found in all parts of the world except Australia and New Zealand, where flesh-eating marsupials prevail. The ermine is probably the smallest specimen of this order, being but a few inches in length. The largest is the bear, some of the latter weigh ing as much as a ton. The carnivores serve as a check on the too rapid multiplication of her bivores, rodents, etc. From this class man has derived two valued pets — the dog and the cat. With the other genera of the order his relations are those of constant warfare. Some genera he hunts for their fur or flesh, others for sport, others he kills to protect his domestic animals. In civilized areas, consequently, the larger carnivores disappear entirely or to a great extent, and the result is the increase of various pests, as rats, mice, etc. In lands less civilized the larger carnivora hold their own even against man, tigers, lions and leopards killing thousands of human beings annually.
1. Fiasipedia.— All the carnivores of this division, except the sea-otter (Enhydra), have six incisor teeth in each jaw, the canine teeth are prominent, and one of the molar series in each jaw is usually compressed laterally, so as to present a cutting edge. The toes are fur nished with claws, and the anterior limbs are used for seizing and holding prey as well as for walking. The skull is contracted behind the orbits, so as to give an hour-glass form when seen from above. The hollow formed by this constriction on each side of the head is bridged over by the wide zygomatic arch, and thus gives room for the powerful muscles of mastication. The lower jaw is articulated to the skull, so that it can only be moved up and down. The incisor and canine teeth are represented by the formula i—, c—. The teeth behind the 3-3 canines increase in size from before backwards, 8-8 and vary from — in the cat, to—in the 8-8 South African otocyon, the total number of teeth of all kinds ranging from 30 to 48. The posterior teeth are divided into premolars and molars; the last of the premolar series in the upper and the first of the molar series in the lower jaw presenting the lateral compression and trenchant margin which earns for them the name of sectorial or carnassial teeth. Behind
the carnassial teeth the molars have tuberculated crowns. The stomach is simple and undivided, and, as a general rule, is more rounded in the flesh-eating genera. The limbs terminate in digits, which are never fewer than four, and are furnished with sharp claws, which in the Felide are retractile within sheaths of the integument on the dorsal surface of the toes. In walking, the extremities of the toes are applied to the ground, as in the “digitigrade cat and dog; or the whole sole of the foot is put down, as in the bear. The six families in chided under the fissipede carnivores are: (1) Felide: lion, tiger, leopard, cat, etc. These present the highest type of the carnivorous structure. The claws are retractile. (2) Onside: wolf, dog, jackal, fox, etc. The claws are not retractile, and the gape is longer. The toes in this and the previous family are five on the anterior and four on the posterior ex tremities. (3) Hyenide: mymna, aardwolf, etc.
The hyenas have the anterior limbs longer than the posterior, and both terminate in feur toes. The skull and dentition approximate to those of the Felidie. (4) Viverride: The supple elongated bodies of these animals are inter mediate between those of the cats and the mar tens. Some, as the civet, genet, zibet, have the claws retractile; in others, as the ichneumon and rasse, they are not retractile. Those men tioned are digitigrade, but the suricate of Cen tral Africa is plantigrade. In this family. glands are found under the tail, the secretions of which have powerful odors. The diet of this family is not purely animal. (5) Mustelide: The members of this family have elongated bodies with short limbs, terminating usually in five-toed feet with retractile or non-retractile claws. The marten, weasel, polecat, glutton or wolverene, constitute one sub-family of ex clusively terrestrial life. The badgers, the skunks and the like constitute another division. (6) Urside: In this family the carnassial tooth is no longer trenchant, but tdberculated. All are plantigrade, but the habits and aspect vary considerably, and include, besides the bears, the raccoons, panda and several lesser forms. The raccoon and its allies are some times made a family with the name Procyoside.
See MAKMALLA ; BEAR; CAT; DOG, etc.
2. Pinnipedia.— The aquatic carnivores comprise three families, represented by the walrus or sea-horse, the eared seals and the common seals. They are related to The preced ing families through the otters and the bears, and agree in having the extremities modified into swimming organs or flippers, and the teeth more uniform in character. See SEALS; WAL RUS.