ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 

 BOOK I : CARNIVORA 



PART I 

 THE FLESH-EATERS 



CHAPTER I 



CARNIVOROUS, OR FLESH-EATING MAMMALS 

 Definition : Habits : Methods of Capturing Prey 



ALL animals which suckle their young belong to the 

 class known as mammals. Thus, man, the cat, the cow 

 and the mouse are all mammals, for although in other 

 respects they differ widely, yet they all have this in 

 common, that they suckle their young. 



Classes are again divided into orders. The lion and 

 the antelope are both mammals, but they belong to 

 different orders. Lions, and other animals which are 

 flesh-eating, belong to the order Carnivora ; antelopes, 

 and other animals which live on grass and herbs belong 

 to the order Herbivora. 



The order Carnivora, then, contains the flesh-eating 

 mammals. These are again divided into two sub-orders 

 Terrestrial, those that live on land, and Marine, those 

 that live in water. 



All flesh-eating mammals have certain common char- 

 acteristics. Their toes, of which there are never less than 



BOOK I I A 



