Carnivores are a diverse order of placental mammals, including 260 primarily meat-eating species, made up of three superfamilies: Canoidea, Feloidea, and Pinnipedia. They have sharp teeth and a strong jaw structure, with some being omnivores or insectivores. The order Carnivora originated from the first carnivores of placental mammals about 42 million years ago and has adapted to fill a wide range of habitats.
Carnivores are a diverse order of placental mammals comprising 260 primarily carnivorous (meat-eating) species, including the familiar domestic cat and dog. Carnivores are made up of three superfamilies: Canoidea (dogs, badgers, skunks, weasels, ferrets, martens, minks, otters, skunks, raccoons, bears and the extinct bear-dogs), Feloidea (cats and other felids, mongooses, hyenas, civets, and the extinct paleophelids), and Pinnipedia (walruses, seals and sea lions).
Species in the order Carnivora tend to be terrestrial carnivores with sharp, deeply rooted teeth, including incisors, often adapted for killing smaller animals and tearing their flesh. Carnivores also share a similar skull structure, with strong jaw muscles for biting. Some members of Carnivora, such as bears, are omnivores, eating grains, roots, and other plants along with a meat-based diet. Others, such as badgers, are insectivorous and feed mainly on earthworms, insects and larvae. Still others, such as the hyena, are scavengers, consuming the remains of animals that have been killed by carnivores or have recently died of natural causes. Felidae have larger incisors than carnivores, the epitome being achieved in the extinct saber-toothed tiger.
Carnivores range in size from the smallest house cats, such as Illinois’ record-breaking Mr. Peebles, which weighed just 3 pounds (1.2 kg) and was 6 inches (15 cm) long, to a record-breaking elephant seal weighing 11,000 pounds (5000 kg) and measures 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in length. Mr. Peebles’ case is actually due to a genetic defect, and the Least Weasel, with a lower weight and longer body, is sometimes considered the smallest member of Carnivora. Another of the large carnivores is the polar bear, which is also the largest purely land carnivore, weighing up to 1,300 pounds (600 kg) and measuring 10 feet (3 m) in length.
The order Carnivora consists of all animals resulting from the radiation of the first carnivores of placental mammals. This happened about 42 million years ago, when felids and canids separated from the primitive carnivorous mammals called miacids, which resembled modern martens. Miacids are considered carnivoramorphs rather than true members of the order Carnivora. Since the time of the miacides, carnivorans have adapted to fill a wide range of habitats and are sometimes considered the most intelligent mammalian order apart from primates.
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