An Introduction to the Carnivora

Abstract

The carnivores are a fascinating group. Trends in their evolution and the convergent and parallel developments of life history strategies have intrigued us all (Eisenberg 1986). Carnivora literally means “eaters of flesh.” Thus, the ordinal name describes an attribute or aspect of a niche that some but not all members of the order Carnivora occupy. The first flesh-eating mammal group to appear in the fossil record, however, is not at all closely related to the modern-day carnivores. The Deltatheridia appeared in the Paleocene and dominated the carnivore niche for a considerable period of time (Van Valen 1966). At the time of the Upper Eocene the first members of the order Carnivora may be found as fossils (see Martin, this volume). These are generally assigned to the family Miacidae. The miacids persisted until the Oligocene. When they are first recognizable in the fossil record, they show enlarged canine teeth and specialized shearing carnassial teeth. The shearing teeth involved the opposition of the fourth upper premolar with the first lower molar. The miacids did not have an ossified tympanic bulla and the carpal bones remained unfused. In the Late Eocene and Early Oligocene the more advanced carnivores make their appearance, with an ossified bulla and a fusion of the scapholunar in the carpus (Dawson and Krishtalka 1984).