Carnivora

South Chinese Tiger with prey

• Canine ( Canoidea )
• Feline ( Feloidea )

The carnivores ( Carnivora ) are an order of mammals ( Mammalia), which includes the canids ( Canoidea ) and felids ( Feloidea ).

The 16 extant families of predators are widespread with about 270 species in 110 genera almost worldwide and feed as typical predators mostly of vertebrates. Traditionally, they are divided into two for appearance and way of life very different groups: the terrestrial " land predators " ( Fissipedia ) the classical scheme and the water- living seals ( Pinnipedia ).

The scientific name " Carnivora " is composed of the Latin terms caro, carnis "meat" and vorare " devour " together. However, many predators feed not only of meat; such as the bears ( Ursidae ) are opportunistic omnivores, and some species, including the giant panda, have specialized on plant food.

Zoologists distinguish between carnivorous ( carnivorous ) animals and the Carnivora as a systematic unit. In everyday language, the term " predators " includes not only the Carnivora, but all the " predatory ", ie yield cross- vertebrates such as toothed whales, sharks, crocodiles, Dasyuridae, birds of prey ( " birds of prey " ) or theropod dinosaurs ( " predators "). These are ecologically summarized as predators.

• 3.1 Social behavior
• 3.2 nutrition
• 3.3 Reproduction

• 4.1 Outer systematics
• 4.2 Internal systematics 4.2.1 Coarse systematics
• 4.2.2 Systematics at the family level

• 5.1 splitting in cats and Canine
• 5.2 Development of the Feline
• 5.3 Development of canids

Features

General

The representatives of the predators are very diverse both in terms of their external attributes as well as their habitats. This diversity is compared between the smallest predator on earth, the weasel, the females weigh less than 50 g, and the largest predator on the planet, the Southern elephant seals, whose bulls up to 6.5 meters long and more than 3.5 tonnes can be hard, especially highlighted. All yield cross- vertebrates are used as a reference If so, this comparison with the sperm whale, which can be up to 20 meters long and 50 tons, the largest predator on the planet all the more impressive.

Jaw and teeth

The teeth of terrestrial carnivore families based on the following dental formula: incisors ( front teeth ) 3/3, canines ( cuspids ) 1/1, premolars ( Vorbackenzähne ) 4/ 4, molars ( back teeth ) 3 /3 System. Depending on the characteristics of prey species are different, the canine teeth, the fangs so-called, are extremely usually extended. Almost all species have six small incisors in the upper and lower jaws. The few exceptions are the sloth bear, which has only two incisors in the upper jaw of each half to soak through the resulting gap insects, and the sea otter, which carries only four incisors in the lower jaw.

All land predators wear beyond a characteristic dentition feature: the so-called P4/M1-Brechschere, composed each of two sharp fangs and is ideally suited to cut meat. In each half of the jaw two fangs form such a functional unit. The upper Fang is the last Vorbackenzahn in the maxilla ( premolar 4 = P4 ), the lower is the first molar tooth ( molar 1 = M1) in the mandible. When hyenas they are particularly strong and are even suitable for breaking large bones with omnivores such as bears and raccoons they are less pronounced. The remaining cheek teeth of carnivores are rather small in contrast to the eye-catching in fangs rule. The number of molar teeth is reduced in some groups, for example, in cats.

The teeth of seals differs significantly from that of terrestrial predators. It is specialized to hold on slippery fish and consists of one or two pairs of lower incisors, canines and relatively inconspicuous 12 to 24 cone-shaped, homodonten molars. Extreme variations are the tusks of the walrus or the modified molars of crabeater.

Characteristic of predator skulls are projecting zygomatic arches, a large temporal fossa as the origin for the strong, to bite the important temporal muscle, and the combination of orbital and temporal window. The lower jaw is so anchored in the upper jaw, that he can only move up and down; Sideways movements, such as during chewing is not possible.

Limbs

Carnivores have four or five toes on each foot. The thumb can not be compared with the other toes and is regressed or reduced in some species. The carpal bones are fused in the rule, so that the wrist is strengthened. The clavicle is reduced both in seals than in the other groups or disappeared completely. It is used in other mammals to allow lateral movement of the limbs. Predators that are mainly aimed to pursue prey, but her legs move back and forth mainly. Some predators such as cats and dogs walking on the toes, while others are like bears plantigrade. For some, such as cats and civets, one finds as a special retractable claws. The limbs of seals are heavily modified and transformed into fins, in which the toes are webbed.

Organs

Because of the usually low specialization in food intake, as the teeth, and the digestive tract compared to many herbivores quite original, thus providing a higher adaptability. It consists of the stomach and a relatively short intestine.

Female predators have a bicornuate uterus. You have constant belly mammary glands. Male predators ( with the exception of hyenas ) have a penis bone ( Baculum ), the testicles are on the outside.

The relatively large brain is heavily furrowed.

Area of ​​distribution and habitats

With about 270 species, the predators are one of the most species -rich orders of mammals. They occur on all continents, where they can be found in the Antarctic only on the coasts. With the exception of lions colonies on the south coast of Australia was formerly predator -free, but the Australian Dingo and in modern times, red fox and domestic cat has been introduced by man in historical times.

All families of felines, with the exception of the cats themselves, which are also found in North and South America, naturally restricted to the Old World. Two families of felines, the Malagasy carnivores and the Pardelroller, have relatively small ranges, and come exclusively in Madagascar or in Central Africa. The remaining three, hyenas, mongooses and civets are respectively distributed in Africa, Asia and in peripheral areas in Europe. Among the canids the dogs, bears and marten are almost spread around the world and missing originally only in Australia and Antarctica. The Bears, however, are extinct in Africa with the Atlas bear in the Holocene. The Skunks are common in Southeast Asia and America, the pandas limited with a kind on Asia and the small bears live only in America. In three families the water predators inhabit the coastal waters of all continents, and a few freshwater lakes.

The habitats of predators are versatile, and there are few habitats that they do not inhabit. They can be found from the pack ice belt up in tropical rain forests and coastal seas into arid deserts.

Way of life

Social behavior

The range of social behavior is high not only among the predators in itself, but also varies considerably within each group of animals. Often the form of society is closely related to hunting manner and diet of the species For example, some species live in packs ( wolves, lions ) or colonies ( sea lions ), other than loners (Leopard, Brown Bear ) or in family groups ( jackals ).

Nutrition

Most predators are carnivores. Your meat needs to be covered by hunting or feeding on carrion. A lot of the carnivores, however, is omnivorous, so omnivorous, which means they take next to meat, other food such as berries or grasses to be. Many smaller predators such as mongooses, but also some larger species such as bat-eared fox, aardwolf and sloth feed largely on invertebrates, primarily insects. Some predator species, including the giant panda, the Pardelroller or Wickelbär are even primarily or almost exclusively herbivores. Nevertheless, there are numerous highly specialized predators within this order.

The way, like predators hunting their prey, is very versatile. Some species, such as wild dogs, hunt their prey to exhaustion, others sneak up close to their prey approach and surprise them with a fast attack, such as the cats. Marten are able to readjust quickly climbing in trees squirrels, weasels pursue rodents in their burrows and seal hunt fish. Large seals as elephant seals reach this depth of over 1000 meters. Some predators are able to kill animals that are a lot bigger than themselves For example, Tiger Gaure (large cattle from South-East Asia ) succumbed, and the ermine can kill a rabbit that weighs many times its body weight. Some species rely mainly on group hunting, while others hunt alone.

Reproduction

Most predators throw about once per year, smaller species more than once. For large species such as the big cats and bears usually takes two to three years between two litters. The gestation period varies 50-115 days. The boys are usually small, blind and incapable of independent survival to the world.

Some mustelids and bears occurs in a delayed development of the embryo. This referred to as dormancy mechanism prolongs the gestation period and ensures that the young are born at a favorable season.

System

Outer systematics

The predators are now counted due to molecular genetic findings on the large mammal line of Laurasiatheria, which include the insectivores, bats, Perissodactyla, Cetartiodactyla (whales and even-toed ungulate ) and pangolins are. Within the Laurasiatheria the predators usually placed today together with the pangolins, and the extinct Creodonten in a separate group, the ferae. Their sister group would be the odd-toed ungulates according to this view. A possible cladogram of Laurasiatheria looks like this:

Bats ( Chiroptera )

Cetartiodactyla ( cloven-hoofed animals and whales)

Odd-toed ungulates ( Perissodactyla )

Pangolins ( Pholidota )

Carnivores ( Carnivora )

Insectivores ( Eulipotyphla )

While the ferae are now regarded as relatively safe, there are regarding the systematics within the Laurasiatheria still regular discussions.

Inside systematics

Coarse classification

The classical classification of predators foresaw two suborders, the land predators and the Pinnipedia; latter were the seals, former all terrestrial predators. As of today, this subdivision is obsolete because seals evolved from canine predators and therefore these are attributable. This membership is based on both morphological as well as molecular genetic studies. Accordingly, the early predators split off first in land and water predators, but in canids ( Canoidea ) and Feline ( Feloidea ). Long differentiates these two lineages, where previously, however, the seals were not counted among the canids.

It is undisputed today that the three families of seals are a monophyletic taxon, so all go back to a common ancestor. The monophyly of the traditionally distinct land predator families largely confirmed. This is especially true for dogs, bears, hyenas and cats. The other traditional families, the mustelids, raccoons, civets and mongooses, still have validity, but had to be partly somewhat restructured to meet the new taxonomic findings needs. To form the Skunks along with the Southeast Asia Stinkdachsen own family, the Red Panda is separated in its own family Ailuridae and the Malagasy predators form a monophyletic taxon. The Pardelroller and Linsangs set by molecular genetic studies also dar. each independent families

• Canine ( Canoidea ) Dogs ( Canidae ) ( with wolves, foxes and jackals )
• Bears ( Ursidae )
• Walruses ( Odobenidae )
• Eared seals ( Otariidae )
• Dog Robben ( Phocidae )
• Red pandas ( Ailuridae )
• Skunks or polecats ( Mephitidae )
• Small bear ( Procyonidae )
• Martens ( Mustelidae )

• Feline ( Feloidea ) Pardelroller ( Nandiniidae )
• Cats ( Felidae )
• Linsangs ( Prionodontidae )
• Civets ( Viverridae )
• Hyenas ( Hyanidae )
• Mongoose ( Herpestidae )
• Malagasy predators ( Eupleridae )

Classification at the family level

The closer kinship relationships of predator families with each other could be brightened by recent molecular genetic analyzes something, even if individual issues are still unresolved. Is now regarded as certain that the canids (dogs ) all other present-day groups, which are summarized as Arctoidea, are facing within the canids. The Arctoidea itself divided into the three Hauptkladen bears, seals and Musteloidea. Among the latter are the pandas, Skunks, raccoons and raccoon. The systematics among the Musteloidea is not entirely secure, but marten and the raccoons seem to form a unit whose sister group is the Skunks. These three groups stood thus the pandas over as a separate group within the Musteloidea. The pandas based on current knowledge belongs only to the Red Panda. The giant panda, however, is now assigned to the large bear ( Ursidae ). It is unclear under the canids, the position of the extinct Amphicyonidae.

Within the felines surprisingly presented the Pardelroller that are currently represented with only one kind in Central Africa, as his own family out, facing all the other surviving families from the cat branch. Furthermore, make all Malagasy predators a monophyletic group, which is closely related to the mongoose. The sister group of these two groups are likely to be the hyenas. The felines therefore three main lines would be in addition to the Pardelrollern be distinguished: ( 1) The Cat and the Linsangs, (2) the civets (without Pardelroller and Malagasy carnivores ) and ( 3) a group from hyenas, mongooses and Malagasy predators composed. It is unclear whether the cats or civets are closer to the Hyena mongoose branch. Unclear is the exact position of the extinct Nimravidae, Barbourofelidae and the hyena -like Stenoplesictidae and Percrocutidae.

A possible cladogram of predator families might look like this:

? Miacidae †

? Amphicyonidae †

? Dogs ( Canidae )

Bears ( Ursidae )

Dog Robben ( Phocidae )

Eared seals ( Otariidae )

Walruses ( Odobenidae )

Cats Bears ( Ailuridae )

Skunks ( Mephitidae )

Small bear ( Procyonidae )

Martens ( Mustelidae )

? Viverravidae †

? Nimravidae †

? Barbourofelidae †

? Stenoplesictidae †

? Percrocutidae †

Pardelroller ( Nandiniidae )

Civets ( Viverridae )

Cats ( Felidae )

Linsangs ( Prionodontiae )

Hyenas ( Hyaenidae )

Mongoose ( Herpestidae )

Malagasy predators ( Eupleridae )

Phylogeny

Splitting in cats and Canine

According to the conventional wisdom, the predators had already in the early Paleocene in the two large predator strain lines that felids ( Feliformia ) and canids ( Caniformia ) split. As the oldest group of the former so far was the extinct family Viverravidae, which is demonstrated in the Paleocene. One of their representatives was for example the petite, arboreal species Protictis. As earliest group of canids usually the Miacidae were considered which arise from about the late Paleocene. (Originally the Miaciden were even regarded as the precursor of all predators. ) Your paws were flexible, indicating climbing skills, and they had a complete set with 44 teeth. The crushing scissors was already developed.

However, recent studies indicate that the Miaciden and Viverraviden are not the direct ancestors of both predator lines, but even to settle completely outside the Carnivora. The Miaciden do not even seem to be a monophyletic group. Viverraviden and Miaciden but also according to these results with the predators to a taxon, the Carnivoramorpha summarized. These results suggest that the two main lines of the Carnivora have developed until about 43 million years apart.

Development of the Feline

One of the oldest families in the cat branch are the Nimravidae that are strongly reminiscent of cats ( Felidae ), but are considered a separate family. They went first to the late Eocene of North America and Eurasia. Another family, the Barbourofelidae were originally regarded as a sub- family of Nimravidae, but they apply today as a separate family. The Barbourofelidae died until the late Miocene to the North American genus Barbourofelis from.

The first representative of the cat itself was Proailurus from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe. He was about the size of an ocelot. In the Miocene the cats migrated to North America for the first time a fast and displaced the resident Nimravids. In the Pliocene they immigrated to South America. The other families of felines remained, apart from a North American genus of the Pliocene hyenas, restricted to the Old World and never reached the American continent.

Development of canids

The second line of the predators are the canids. Their eponymous family, the dogs ( Canidae ), is mainly represented evolutionarily in North America and was originally limited to this continent. The genus Hesperocyon from the Middle Eocene was the first known member of this family. The dogs did not reach Europe in the Miocene, Africa, Asia and South America before the Pliocene.

The other family, the bears first appeared in North America, reaching Eurasia and Africa in the Miocene. In contrast to the present forms the first bear was still quite small. Parictis from the late Eocene had a 7-cm- long skull. The other families of the canids, one of which was next to the still existing and the extinct family of Amphicyonidae, are detectable later than the early Oligocene both in North America and in the Old World. South America reached the canids like the cats until the Pliocene, after the emergence of the Central American land bridge. Only the small bears are already detected from the late Miocene on this continent.

The seals, which are within the canids to the group of Arctoidea, are only known from the Oligocene. Enaliarctos about already had fins and lived in the Late Oligocene of California. The molars of these early species were hardly modified fangs as they are typical of land predators. Representatives who may be assigned to the three seals families are known from the Miocene. Eared seals and walruses were then distributed on the coasts of the North Pacific, while the true seals in the North Atlantic lived.

Extinct Carnivores other mammalian groups

Before the Carnivora developed to the top predators, this niche of two other mammalian orders has been filled, the extinct a long time ago. The first were the Mesonychia, carnivorous ungulates, which were common in the Paleocene and Eocene. They brought the first large carnivores out among the higher mammals. A second group of predatory mammals were the Creodonten ( "mock predators "). In the early Paleogene, the actual predators were still relatively small, the Creodonten however, were represented with a remarkable abundance of forms of large carnivores. Just as the Carnivora the Creodonten had developed a crushing scissor bite. However, the crushing scissors by predators and Creodonten each consisting of different molars, a proof that both groups have independently, ie convergent developed.

On the continents, except Australia and South America, where for a long time lived no modern predators, the role of larger carnivores was originally filled by various marsupial species. In South America, lived up to the Pliocene carnivorous marsupials of the order Sparassodonta, which also belonged to the saber tooth cat-like genus Thylacosmilus. With the formation of the Central American land bridge and the great American faunal exchange at the end of the Pliocene Carnivora immigrated from North America and repressed their South American rivals. Among the special conditions in Australia were able to develop some medium-sized carnivores among the bag mammals, such as the quoll and the Tasmanian Devil, which belong to the robbery marsupials. One other family of Dasyuridae -like thing of the thylacine, who disappeared in the 20th century. Carnivores outside the Dasyuridae -like, for example, the bags were lions became extinct in the Pleistocene, or carnivorous kangaroo species of the genus Ekaltadeta who already extinct in the Upper Miocene.

Meaning, history, culture

Since ancient times, large predators are prey competitors of man. Many predators have been persecuted as enemies of the livestock of the people for a long time and lost a large part of their habitat due to the spread and competition of man. Even the hunting of wild animals resented them man and decimated them for this reason. In Yellowstone National Park large carnivores were persecuted even after the National Park Foundation and the wolf even eradicated. Many predators have been or are also for their fur, made ​​from the luxury clothing, and hunted as trophies. Therefore, a number of species are now threatened with extinction, and particularly the stocks of large predators are often whittled down to small relict populations.

Make way for a rethink, however, recognize today. Especially in Europe and North America, some large carnivores seem to be able to make up some lost ground again. So wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park and Central Europe increasingly migrate bears, wolves and lynxes. Some very adaptable species such as the red fox even penetrate more and more present in human settlements and find themselves in modern cities to earn a living.

Especially the large species such as lion, tiger, bear and wolf have acquired mythical significance and been included in numerous legends.

Some species (especially domestic dog and domestic cat ) are kept as pets by humans. Various marten are bred for their fur or in the case of the ferret for rabbit and hare hunting.

Several predator species such as the red fox, are carriers of dangerous diseases like rabies.