342 BACKBONED ANIMALS. 
the point, forming a callous, elastic cushion. The drome- 
dary, or single-humped camel* (Fig. 365), is found in 
Arabia, Syria, Persia, and Africa, and is remarkable for its 
speed, carrying a rider nearly one hundred miles a day. 
In the caravan they carry a load weighing from six hun- 
dred to one thousand pounds. The young are about three 
feet high when born, and do not attain their full growth 
for seventeen years. Their average age is fifty years. The 
Bactrian camel, or two-humped variety, is eight feet high 
between the humps, and about ten feet long. It came 
originally from Central Asia. Allied are the llama of Peru 
and Chili, the guanaco, and the alpaca 
VALUE.—Hide and hair, and as beasts of burden. In the Falkland 
Islands, guanaco-bones are used as fire-wood. 
Order VIII. Flesh-eating Mammals (Carnivora). 
General Characteristics. — This order includes the cats, 
bears, seals, etc.—animals that feed mainly upon flesh—to 
obtain which they have sharp claws (Fig. 373), fangs, and 
cutting teeth (Fig. 375). The head is generally massive 
and powerful, each jaw containing six incisors, behind 
which is placed a long, stout canine. The number of mo- 
lar teeth varies with the species, and they have trenchant 
edges for cutting. 
Sub-order I. Pinnipedia. Sealst (Pocitde).—The 
common seal (Calocephalus vitulinus) has no external ears ; 
the arms and legs are short, the latter being large and 
fan-shaped ; the inner and outer toes are large and long, 
the three middle ones shorter ; the palms and soles are 
hairy, and the claws distinct and sharp. They are ex- 
tremely intelligent, and susceptible of domestication. The 
* These animals have been introduced into the deserts of Nevada, 
and are rapidly increasing in numbers. 
+ Members of this family have been seen in the Caspian Sea, 
in Lake Baikal, and lately the harbor seal has been observed in Lake 
Champlain, and other streams in central New York. The common 
seal has been caught in Chesapeake Bay. 
