144 COMPAKATIVE DENTAL ANATOMY 



upper. The main characters of the Felidce con- 

 sist in a reduction of the number of the teeth, 

 their high specialization, the vertical movement 

 of the jaw and the raising of the tubercles to re- 

 sist this movement, the great muscles of mastica- 

 tion (Fig. 54). The passage from the archetype 



Fig. 53. — Teeth of Mountain Lion. Occlusal view, showing arrange- 

 ment of cusps and condyle. 



bunodont tooth to the scissor-like carnassial sec- 

 torial form is plainly exhibited by a series leading 

 from the lowest type up to the Felidce. This form 

 is due to vertical strain and growth, to resist the 

 stress of mastication. The extinct Felidce had a 

 formidable dentition, extravagant in its special- 



