Order CARNIVORA 



91 



Fig. 61. — Additional characters used in the identification of car- 

 nivores: a, skull of mink, side view; b, skull of badger, side view; 

 c, palatal bone of skull of spotted skunk, under side; d, palatal 

 bone of skull of badger, under side; e, claw of domestic cat; /, 

 claw of dog. 



14. Hard palate extending posteriorly to about even with last 



molar, fig. 61c ... 15 



Hard palate extending well behind last molar, fig. 6ld . ... 16 



15. Interorbital region of skull almost fiat 



spotted skunk, Spilogale putorius* 



Interorbital region of skull strongly convex 



striped skunk. Mephitis mephitis 



16. Length of skull more than 100 mm. (4 in.) ; in lateral view, 



the anterior portion of each zygomatic arch twice as broad 



as the posterior portion, fig. 61^ badger, Taxidca taxus 



Length of skull less than 100 mm. ; in lateral view, the an- 



''This species nvay occur in Illinois, but there are no official records of it. 



