436 



THE MAMMALS 



leopards, pumas, wild cats, house cats, and similar animals. They are 

 adapted to stalk their prey and then pounce upon them with one sudden 

 burst of speed and, as a rule, are not capable of long sustained high 

 speed. 



The Dogs. The dog-like carnivores often depend on running their 

 prey down in a long chase in contrast to the cats. The wolves, foxes, 

 and coyotes are included in addition to our common dog. 



Courtesy Chicago Natural History Museum 



Fig. 28.10. The spotted hyena. A scavenger that lives off the remains of the prey 

 killed by the other large carnivores. It has very powerful jaws for crushing bones. 



The Hyenas. These strange looking animals ordinarily do not kill 

 their own prey, but wait for some of the bolder carnivores, such as the 

 lions, to do the killing. Then when the lion has eaten his fill they come 

 in and devour what is left of the carcass. They have the strongest jaws 

 of any mammal and can easily crush large bones with their teeth. 



The Raccoons. These little carnivores are found near the water and 

 often catch crayfish, fish, and clams for food. They seem very particular 

 about their eating, for they thoroughly wash their food before eating it 

 if water is available. This habit, however, seems not so much to be 



