Natural History: Mammalia/Carnivora
ORDER IV. CARNIVORA.
(Flesh-eating Animals.)
The food of the preceding orders, though not procured without the destruction of animal life, is yet obtained, almost entirely, from the invertebrate classes, Insects and Worms. For the capture and conquest of these no great vigour is required, and hence we have seen the animals to be small in size, and comparatively feeble in the organization necessary for the destruction of life. In this Order, however, to use the words of one of the greatest zoologists, "the sanguinary appetite is combined with the force necessary for its gratification. There are always four stout and long separated canines, between which are six incisors to each jaw. The molars are either wholly cutting, or have some
SKULL OF TIGER.
blunted tuberculous parts, but are never studded with sharp conical projections."[1]
All the families of the order do not, however, possess the carnivorous appetite, or the destructive power, in the same degree. The character of the molar teeth indicates, with the utmost precision, the extent to which the flesh-eating propensity exists in any animal of this order. In the Cats (Felidæ) the most typical of all Carnivora, the molars terminate at their summits in triangular lobes, the edges of which cut like lancets; and they have but one small tuberculous tooth on each side, and that only in the upper jaw. On the other hand, the Bears (Ursidæ), most of which feed largely on vegetable substances, have nearly all the molar teeth tuberculated. Yet from one of these extremes to the other, there runs a series of modifications forming an almost uninterrupted chain.
The present order is one of great extent; and its numerous species are widely distributed over both continents. Among those which inhabit tropical regions, are found the most ferocious and most formidable of quadrupeds. It comprises six families, Ursidæ, Musteladæ, Felidæ, Viverradæ, Canidæ, and Phocadæ.
- ↑ Cuvier.