CARNIVORA 



283 



Order CARNIVORA. 



1827. Carnivora Gray, Griffith's Cuvier. Anim. Kingd., v, p. 111. 



Geographical distribution. — Continents and larger islands of 

 the entire world, Australia,* New Zealand, and the Antarctic 

 region excepted. 



Characters. — Terrestrial (rarely aquatic or semi-aquatic), non- 

 volant, placental mammals with rather high development of 

 brain, the cerebral hemispheres with distinct convolutions ; feet 

 unguiculate, never modified as fins or flippers ; dentition of a 

 modified tuberculo-sectorial type, the posterior upper premolar 

 and anterior lower molar usually developed as special carnassial 

 or flesh-cutting teeth. 



Bemarks. — The mammals of this order present much diversity 

 of form and structure, though less than in the case of the 

 Insectivora. Most of the living members of the group are 

 carnivorous in habits, and immediately recognizable among 

 placental mammals by the presence of a specially modified flesh- 

 tooth in each jaw. In certain groups, however, as in the Ursidse 

 among the European representatives of the order, both habits 

 and dentition are of a more generalized type. The order contains 

 seven recent families, five of which occur in Europe. 



KEY TO THE EUROPEAN FAMILIES AND SUB-FAMILIES 

 OF CABNIVOBA. 



Larger cheek-teeth with crowns of a crushing type, the 

 cusps sub-equal, low, subterete, without noticeable 

 cutting edges ; upper carnassial 2-rooted, in front of 

 anteorbital foramen, its inner lobe posterior; size 

 very large; form heavy; feet plantigrade (Bears) .. . Ursidas, p. 284. 

 Larger cheek-teeth with crown at least partly trenchant, 

 the outer cusps of one or more in each jaw narrow 

 and with well developed cutting edge, the inner 

 cusps reduced or absent ; upper carnassial 3-rooted, 

 behind anteorbital foramen, its inner lobe median 

 or anterior. 

 Cheek-teeth without crushing surfaces ; upper molar 

 scarcely larger than outer incisor ; claws com- 

 pletely retractile (Cats) Felidie, p. 455. 



Cheek-teeth, at least the hindermost, with evident 



crushing surface; upper molar (or first when more 



than one are present) much larger than outer 



incisor ; claws partly or not retractile. 



Tooth-row relatively long (more than half condylo- 



basal length of skull) ; number of teeth in 



European members of family 42 (Dogs) Canidie, p. 303. 



Represented in Australia by a species of Canis, probably introduced. 



