CLASSIFICATION OF CARNIVORES 



871 



(i) ^LUROIDEA, 

 e.g. cat, civet, hyaena. 



Digitigrade. 



O TO T 



Typical dentition, ^-^-. 

 ■' ^ 3121 



The tympanic bulla is 

 much dilated, 

 rounded, and thin- 

 walled, and is divided 

 into two chambers 

 by an internal septum 

 (except in Hya^nidse). 



The paroccipital pro- 

 cess of the exocci- 

 pital is applied to the 

 hinder part of the 

 tympanic bulla. 



The caecum is small, 

 rarely absent. 



(2) CYNOIDEA. 

 g.g.dog:,fox,wolf, jackal. 



Digitigrade. 



Typical dentition, ^^^. Typical dentition, 

 3143 



(3) ARCTOIDEA, 

 e.g. bear, otter. 



Plantigrade 

 plantigrade. 



or 



The tympanic bulla is 

 dilated, but the in- 

 ternal septum is 

 rudimentary. 



The paroccipital pro- 

 cess is in contact 

 with the bulla, but 

 it is prominent. 



The caecum is some- 

 times short and 

 simple, sometimes 

 long and peculiarly 

 folded. 



sub- 



3142 

 3143* 



The tympanic bulla is 

 often depressed, and 

 there is no hint of an 

 internal septum. 



The paroccipital [pro- 

 cess is quite apart 

 from the bulla. 



The caecum is absent. 



(1) ^LUROiDEA— Cat-like Carnivores 

 Family FeUdae, including the most specialised forms. The canines 

 are large, the molars are reduced to p the carnassials are the 



last premolars above (with a three-lobed blade), and the molars 

 beneath (with a two-lobed^blade). The tuberculated upper 

 molars are very small, and of little if any use in mastication. 

 The skull is generally rounded, the zygomatic arches are wide 

 and strong, and the tympanic bullae are large and smooth. 

 The limbs are digitigrade, the claws retractile. There is no 

 alisphenoid canal. The dentition of the typical genus Felis is 



^^. The cats are the most specialised of all Carnivores, and 

 3121 



are exclusively adapted for a flesh diet. The sharp claws and 



pointed canines form powerful offensive weapons ; the cusped 



cheek-teeth and rasping tongue are employed to separate the 



flesh from the bones of the prey. 



Examples. — The lion {Felis leo), in Africa, Mesopotamia, Persia, 



N.-W. India ; the tiger (F. tigris), widely distributed in 



Asia ; the leopard (F. pardus), in Africa, India, Ceylon, 



