Feeding animals is a fundamental process for their survival. Each group has developed different ways to obtain and process food, which in turn are particular to each of them. In this sense, the species have a close relationship between their anatomy, physiology, capabilities and the type of diet. This is how, within the great diversity of living beings, we find carnivores, which are very varied and base their way of feeding on the consumption of other animals.
In this article on our site we want to present information specifically about carnivorous mammals, their characteristics and concrete examples. Cheer up and continue reading.
What are carnivorous mammals?
Mammalian animals, among other features, are distinguished mainly by the presence of mammary with which they feed their young As for their diet, we find different groups, one of them being carnivores, which are animals provided with distinctive teeth, which show this lifestyle that is associated with a diet based mainly on consumption of other animals
In general, mammals have four types of teeth: incisors, which are adapted for biting, cutting and gnawing; canines, which are used to capture and tear; premolars and molars, whose function is associated with grinding food. However, this dental configuration changes gradually and takes on different traits in the various types of mammals that exist depending on their diet.
Evolution of carnivorous mammals
Mammals have evolved over millions of years, going from small animals, without hair and ectothermic, to the current representatives where we find some of large dimensions, endothermic and hairy. Don't miss our article on the Evolution of animals.
The ancestors of the class of mammals were previously called " mammalian reptiles ", today a term in disuse because they did not correspond to reptiles and, therefore, it is replaced by "synapsids " (therapsids), who developed a series of characteristics such as a second palate, expansion of the maxillary bones and differentiation of the teeth, traits that were specialized in carnivorous mammals.
From the group of the first synapsids there was a diversification towards both herbivorous and carnivorous animals. Primitive mammals lived with the dinosaurs and were small in size, fed on insects and had nocturnal habits. Then, when the dinosaurs became extinct, they conquered the world. Today carnivorous mammals are grouped into a large clade known as Carnivoramorpha, where their extinct relatives are also located.
Classification of carnivorous mammals
Currently, these animals are classified as follows:
- Animal Kingdom
- Phylum: Chordates
- Class: Mammals
- Order: Carnivores
- Suborder: Caniformia and Feliformia
The suborder Caniformia is made up of the following families:
- Canidae: wolves, coyotes, dogs, jackals, and foxes.
- Mephitidae: skunks and badgers.
- Mustelidae: weasels, badgers and otters, among others.
- Odobenidae: walruses.
- Otariidae: lions or sea lions (eared seals).
- Phocidae: true seals (no ears).
- Procyonidae: raccoons and coatis, among others.
- Ursidae: bears.
While in the suborder Feliformia we find the following families:
- Eupleridae: Malagasy mongooses.
- Felidae: all felines.
- Herpestidae: mongooses.
- Hyaenidae: hyenas.
- Nandiniidae: African palm civet.
- Viverridae: viverrids.
Characteristics of carnivorous mammals
Once the classification is known, which allows us to get a slight idea of what this group of animals can be like, we show below the main characteristics of carnivorous mammals and what they all have in common:
- They feed mainly on herbivores and eat less frequently than herbivores.
- They are provided with strong teeth with good drilling and cutting capacity.
- Its heterodont structure is adapted to tearing up meat and, depending on the specific type of diet, certain differences may exist within the group.
- They have an enlarged braincase.
- Caniforms tend to have more protruding or elongated snouts and more teeth than feliforms.
- Its limbs have claws with the possibility of applying significant force.
- They process and digest meat proteins much more easily than vegetable matter.
- The digestive system consists of a shorter tract than that of herbivorous animals.
- They have developed strength, skill, agility and speed to capture their prey.
- They exhibit a diversity of body shapes, such that we find contrasting examples such as a tiger, a dog and a sea lion.
Types and examples of carnivorous mammals
As we have seen, carnivorous mammals are a very diverse group, made up of 15 families, 128 genera, 290 species and 1247 subspecies. Let's know types and certain examples of them:
Canids
They are made up of the wolves, coyotes, dogs, jackals and foxes. Among these animals we find, as a curious fact to highlight, that companion dogs come from the domestication of a type of wolf.
Some species of canids that we can name as examples of carnivorous mammals are the following, although all those belonging to this group feed on other animals:
- Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)
- Red Fox (Vulpe vulpes)
- African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)
Skunks
Characterized by their scent glands, here are the skunks and stinky badgers. We have some examples in:
- Pygmy spotted skunk (Splogale pygmaea)
- Hooded Skunk (Mephitis macroura)
- Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
Mustelids
This is a diverse group of carnivorous mammals that contains badgers, weasels, stoats, mink, and otters, among others. We mention some species:
- Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)
- Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra)
- American badger (Taxidea taxus)
- Eurasian badger (Meles meles)
Walruses
There is a single species of walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), which contains two subspecies, Atlantic walrus (O. r. rosmarus) and the Pacific walrus (O. r. divergens), both carnivorous.
Otariids
The lions or sea lions, sometimes called eared seals, are placed in this family. Some of the most representative species are the following:
- Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctophoca gazella)
- South American Sea Lion (Otaria flavescens)
- Galapagos sea lion (Wollebaeki zalophus)
Seals
The true seals lack ears and are placed in this group. Some examples that we can mention are:
- Common or Spotted Seal (Phoca vitulina)
- Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris)
- Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)
Procyonids
This is a somewhat controversial group of carnivorous mammals regarding its taxonomy. Some species of the family are:
- Bushy-tailed Olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii)
- Mountain Coati (Nasuella olivacea)
- South American or crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus)
Ursids
The bears are a family with eight species and several subspecies, having some very representative examples and with a curiosity linked to nutritional extremes, as is the case of the panda bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), which mainly consumes bamboo, and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), which feeds basically on seals.
In general, bears are considered omnivorous animals, with the exception of the aforementioned polar bear, whose diet is exclusively carnivorous, so this would be the most representative example of this group if we are talking about carnivorous mammals.
Malagasy mongooses
These animals are carnivorous mammals endemic to Madagascar, including:
- Madagascar Civet (Fossa fossana)
- Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose (Galidictis fasciata)
Felines
A very peculiar and diverse group of carnivorous mammals, characterized by their agility to hunt, which includes from huge species, such as lions and tigers, to much smaller ones such as the common cat.
To mention specific species, we have the following examples:
- Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
- Puma (Puma concolor)
- Borneo red cat (Catopuma badia)
- Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)
- Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris ssp. altaica)
- Congo Lion (Panthera leo azandica)
Mongoose
Mongooses are a group with diverse genera and are very efficient hunters that even prey on venomous snakes. We can consider the following examples:
- Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)
- Small gray mongoose (Galerella pulverulenta)
- Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon)
Hyenas
Another of the most representative types of carnivorous mammals is the corresponding hyena. They are animals belonging to the feliformes, specifically to the Hyaenidae family, and are divided into four species:
- Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena)
- Brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea)
- Garden Wolf (Proteles cristata)
- Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
African Palm Civet
This type of carnivorous mammal forms a single genus and species, which is native to Africa and is known as the African Civet of the palm trees (Nandinia binotata).
Viverridos
Native to Africa, Asia, and Madagascar, they are a diverse group often referred to as civets and genets. Some species are:
- Otter Civet (Cynogale bennettii)
- Binturong (Arctictis binturong)
- Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)
Finally, it is important to mention that the aforementioned groups are based on the formal classification of the order Carnivora. However, there are several species of those mentioned that do not have a strict carnivorous diet, but are rather omnivorous, as is the case of the raccoon, some bears and the palm civet, among others.
