CARNIVORA Systematics

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CARNIVORASystematics Biology

• Mammalogy EEOB 625
• 23 February 2004

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Risks Advantages of Carnivory

• Few orders have been successful, n ?
• Adaptations dental canines carnassials
• digestive locomotory adaptations
• Primitive Order Creodonta
• primitive carnassials (M2/ M3)
• Cimolestes weasel-like member of the ancestral
  family Miacidae

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Fig. 15.1 Feldhamer See Fig. 12-1 Vaughan
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Adaptations of Carnivores

• Dental - Carnassial Teeth last upper premolar
  first lower molar (P4/ M1)
• Carnassial function - shearing action
• Digestion Simple with rapid passage
• Locomotion Plantigrade to Digitigrade
• What is the most highly derived family?
• Function control of retractile claws

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Fig. 6.6B, Feldhamer
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Shape of the Mandibular Fossa
Musteliae C-shaped
Ursidae
flat
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lion
hyena
dog
Fig. 15.4
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Fig. 6.2, Feldhamer
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Fig. 6.2
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Adaptations of an omnivorous carnivore
Schwartz (1959)
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Suborder Feliformia

• Cat-like taxa in four families
• Felidae most highly derived, speciose (36
  species, Herpestidae with 37 species), and nearly
  Worldwide in distribution
• Herpestidae Viverridae
• Hyaenidae Highest in adaptive radiation?
• Ardwolves transitional to true myrmecophagy?

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Schwartz Schwartz (1959)
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Adaptive radiation in Hyaenidae
Spotted hyaena
Ardwolf
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Suborder Caniformia

• dog-likefamilies marine carnivores
• Procyonidae the New World ominvores
• Giant Panda - a member of Ursidae?
• - anatomy of the manus and skull
• - DNA hybridization other techniques
• The ursid phylogenetic tree
• Mustelidae Origin diversity (65species)

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Brown bear
Giant Panda
Raccoon
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