FLESH-EATING MAMMALS 3 



and bodies, with short legs. The cheek teeth are more 

 numerous than among the cats, and the lower back 

 teeth are provided with grinding surfaces behind the 

 blades. The claws vary in retractability, and some 

 species walk upon the soles of their feet (plantigrade) 

 and not upon their toes (digitigrade) as most ungulates, 

 or hoofed mammals, and other carnivores do. The 

 family consists of the following genera : * 



The civet, the genets, the mungooses and the meercats. 



(3) This family contains only the aardwolf. 



(4) THE HY^NA FAMILY. 



(B) The second division contains in Africa, the jackals, 

 the African foxes, and the African hunting dog. 



(C) The third division contains, in Africa, south of 

 the Sahara, the Cape otter, the spotted-necked otter, 

 the rat el, and the polecats. 



The Marine sub-order of mammals is represented in 

 South Africa by the Cape sea lion. 



Although all the animals mentioned above are embraced 

 under the heading of flesh-eating animals, several of the 

 forms are not strictly so in reality, insects and fruits 

 forming a large part, in some cases nearly the whole of 

 their diet. All the members of the order display very 

 perfect adaptation to their mode of life and to their 

 environment. While the larger species have varied little 

 in shape and colour from their original types during the 

 ages in which they have roamed over the Ethiopian region, 

 the smaller forms have often altered a good deal. 



In south-east Africa the young of most of the carnivora 

 seem to be born during the dry season, which is the reverse 

 of the general rule controlling the reproduction of the 

 majority of the ungulates. Though it is rash to pro- 



* This and other terms used in the classification of animals are 

 explained in the Introduction, pages vii-x. 



