39^ ELEMENTARY ZOOLOGY 



beaches of the shore. The fur-seals (fig. 157) live gre- 

 gariously in great rookeries on the Pribilof or Fur Seal 

 Islands, and the Commander Islands in Bering Sea. 



The bears are represented in our country by the wide- 

 spread brown, black, or cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus) 

 and the huge grizzly bear (U. horribilis] of the West. The 

 great polar bear (Thalarctos maritinms) lives in arctic 

 regions. The otters, skunks, badgers, wolverines, sables, 

 minks, and weasels compose the family Mustelidae, which 

 includes most of the valuable fur-bearing animals. Some 

 of the members of this family lead a semi-aquatic or even 

 strictly aquatic life and have webbed feet. The wolves, 

 foxes, and dogs belong to the family Canidae. The coyote 

 (Cam's latrans], the gray wolf (C. nubilus), and the red 

 fox ( Vulpes pennsylvanicus) are the most familiar repre- 

 sentatives of this family, in addition to the dog (C. fami- 

 liar is), which is closely allied to the wolf. "Most 

 carnivorous of the carnivora, formed to devour, with every 

 offensive weapon specialized to its utmost, the Felidae, 

 \vhether large or small, are, relatively to their size, the 

 fiercest, strongest, and most terrible of beasts." The 

 Felidae or cat family includes the lions, tigers, hyenas, 

 leopards, jaguars, panthers, wildcats, and lynxes. In this 

 country the most formidable of the Felidae is the American 

 panther or puma (Felts concolor). It reaches a length 

 from nose to root of tail of over four feet. Its tail is 

 long. The wildcat (Lynx riifus) is much smaller and 

 has a short tail. 



The man-like mammals (Primates). The Primates, 

 the highest order of mammals, includes the lemurs, 

 monkeys, baboons, ape-s, and men. Man {Homo sapiens] 

 is the only native representative of this order in our 

 country. All the races and kinds of men known, although 

 really showing much variety in appearance and body 

 structure, are commonly included in one species. The 



