Orver FERE. 
THE FLESH EATERS. 
Suborder FISSIPEDIA. 
The order Fere, formerly known as Carnivora, contains the Flesh 
Eaters or Beasts of Prey, which are widely distributed nearly throughout 
the world.* The order is divided into two suborders: the Pinnipedia, 
containing the marine Seals and Walruses; and the Fissipedia, which 
is the one that comes within the scope of the present work and which 
includes all the other known living forms belonging to the order, such 
as Lions, Tigers, Cats, Bears, Wolves, Foxes, Skunks, Weasels, etc. 
While all the members of the order are flesh eaters, some of them, 
like the Bears, are practically omnivorous and others vary their diet 
with roots, fruits and berries. The dentition is especially adapted to 
their mode of life; the canines are prominent, being large, sharp, and, 
as a rule, somewhat recurved.{ The incisors are pointed and are six 
in number in each jaw (with rare exceptions); the cheek teeth (molars 
and premolars) are unusually modified. The last premolar in the upper 
jaw and the first true molar in the lower jaw are generally (but not 
always) decidedly larger and longer than the rest of the cheek teeth 
and are known as carnassial or sectorial teeth. All the teeth in front 
of the carnassial teeth have cutting edges; the only teeth having broad 
crowns are those situated behind the carnassials. The skull is furnished 
with ridges to which are attached the powerful jaw muscles. The 
radius and ulna are separate and 
the clavicles are more or less 
rudimentary or absent. The 
toes are‘armed with strong claws, 
which vary in shape in different 
animals. Some are curved and 
some nearly straight. In the 
Cats, for example, they are 
strongly curved, sharp and 
retractile, being drawn back and 
sheathed when not in use. There 
Skull of a Fox. é “ A A a 2 
n, Incisors; 0, canines; p, premolars; r, molars; is a wide diversity in S1Ze, shape 
Ss, upper carnassial; t, lower carnassial. aad HAbits among erates OF 
*The Australian region would be excepted, if the Dingo of that country be 
considered an introduced species. 
t The Sabre-toothed Tiger, a fossil species belonging to this order, the remains of 
which have been found in Pleistocene deposits in some parts of the United States 
and elsewhere, had the canine teeth enormously developed, reaching a length of 
7 or more inches. 
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