Carnivoran facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carnivora Temporal range: Palaeocene to Recent
A gray wolf
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Eutheria
Superorder:	Laurasiatheria
Order:	Carnivora Bowdich, 1821
Families
17, See "Taxonomy"

The order Carnivora is a big group of mammals. It includes many animals you know, like cats, dogs, bears, and seals! These animals are often called "carnivorans."

While the word "carnivore" usually means an animal that eats only meat, many animals in the Carnivora order actually eat other things too. Some are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and meat. A good example is the giant panda, which mostly eats plants like bamboo!

This group is split into two main types: the "cat-like" animals called Feliformia and the "dog-like" animals called Caniformia. Even walruses and seals, which live in the water, are part of this amazing group.

Types of Carnivorans

The Carnivora order is divided into two main groups. These groups help scientists organize animals based on their shared features.

Cat-like Carnivorans (Feliformia)

This group includes animals that are generally more like cats. They often have shorter snouts and a special bone in their ear that is different from dog-like carnivorans.

• Felidae: This family includes all types of cats, from your house cat to lions and tigers.
• Viverridae: These are small to medium-sized mammals, like civets and genets.
• Hyaenidae: This family includes hyenas, known for their strong jaws.
• Eupleridae: These are carnivores found only on the island of Madagascar, like the fossa.
• Herpestidae: This family includes mongooses, which are often small and quick.

Dog-like Carnivorans (Caniformia)

This group includes animals that are generally more like dogs. They often have longer snouts and a different ear bone structure.

• Canidae: This family includes dogs, foxes, wolves, jackals, and coyotes.
• Ursidae: This family includes all types of bears, like grizzly bears and polar bears.
• Ailuridae: This family includes the adorable red pandas.
• Mephitidae: This family includes skunks, known for their strong smell.
• Mustelidae: This family includes animals like martens, badgers, and minks.
• Procyonidae: This family includes raccoons and their relatives.
• Pinnipedia: This is a special group of aquatic (water-living) carnivorans. They include:
  • Odobenidae: This family includes walruses, known for their long tusks.
  • Otariidae: These are seals with small ear flaps, like sea lions and fur seals.
  • Phocidae: These are seals without visible ear flaps, like harbor seals.

Images for kids

• 

  Life reconstruction of Tapocyon robustus, an ancient mammal related to carnivorans.

• 

  Skull of a fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox). Notice the large, pointed canine teeth and special cutting teeth called carnassials, which are common in cat-like carnivorans.

• 

  A black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) trying to hunt a brown fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) pup. These two animals show how different carnivorans can look, especially between land animals and their water-living relatives like seals.

See also

In Spanish: Carnivora para niños