CARNIVORES: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES, DIET, EXAMPLES - BIOLOGY - 2025

The carnivores are an order of eutherian mammals that in a large majority, eat meat, having a strong and jaw teeth adapted therefor. Some may supplement their diet with certain foods of plant origin, differentiating themselves from obligate carnivores, who eat exclusively meat.

Early mammals were believed to be small, similar to mice. Fossil evidence has shown otherwise, in northern China remains of the first carnivorous mammal that inhabited the earth 130 million years ago were found: the Repenomamos giganticus.

Examples of carnivores.

According to the bones found, its size was like that of a large dog and its appearance was very similar to the Tasmanian devil, but with long teeth and reptilian legs.

Carnivores are distributed on all continents, occupying almost all terrestrial and some aquatic habitats. They can be found in tropical forests, mountains, deserts and in areas with very low temperatures, such as the poles. Aquatic species inhabit seas, oceans or fresh waters.

They come in different sizes, the weasel can weigh around 35 grams, while the weight of the elephant seal is more than 3,600kg. Also sexually, some species may be different in their external appearance, such as wolves, where males are generally larger than females.

Most carnivores live for at least a decade, they are relatively long-lived. However, there are exceptions, little weasels live a maximum of one year and if they are in captivity they can reach 6 years of life.

Social behavior

Pack of wolves.

Some carnivores are solitary, like bears, or may group in packs. Sociability in this group will not only depend on the characteristics of the species, the variations may be influenced by the geography of the habitat, sex and age.

Red foxes breed in groups in certain geographic regions and in others they have solitary social behaviors. The female coatis live together, while the males spend most of their time alone.

Group life brings with it the formation of dominance hierarchies, with very strong ties between its members. This social structure helps the pack to stay together, reduces conflict and the chances of aggressive behavior among its members.

General characteristics

Amur tiger

Stomach

The stomach of carnivores is single-chamber and large in volume, covering almost 70% of the total capacity of their digestive system. This is a great advantage, as it allows them to eat quickly and eat as much meat as possible, which will be digested while they rest.

The high amounts of hydrochloric acid that the stomach secretes has the characteristic of being very concentrated, thus facilitating the rapid degradation of the pieces of meat, cartilage, nerves and bones that it consumed.

Reproductive organs

The breasts are organized in two lines in the abdomen area, a relevant aspect for those mammals that lie down when breastfeeding. They have ovaries and a uterus, both located in the abdominal cavity.

In some males, the penis has a bone called a staff, which will favor the penetration of this organ without the need for an erection. The testicles are oval, found within the scrotum.

Bone structure

The lower jaw of carnivores is very strong and has an articulated surface that allows it to move vertically, opening and closing its mouth.

The clavicles can be reduced or absent, if they exist they are embedded in the muscle, without any type of joint. This would prevent this bone from breaking when hunting or fighting with another animal.

Carnivores walk on all fours. Some do it with the tips of their legs, like cats and dogs, while others move supporting the plant, the bear being an example of this.

The skull is characterized by a large cranial box and a developed zygomatic arch, which is located behind the upper jaw.

Teeth

They have several types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars and molars. In carnivores the canines are prominent and the upper fourth premolar together with the lower first molar form the carnassial teeth, which act like a scissor, cutting meat, tendons and bones into pieces.

The premolars and molars have blade-shaped cusps, and together with the incisors, they help the animal cut the prey into pieces.

Fur

Some carnivores have their bodies covered in thick fur, while others, like the walrus, have few hairs. Many are striped or blotchy, and their colors vary widely, ranging from white to red, including many shades of gray and brown.

Glands

Carnivores have scent glands in their anal region, the secretions of which are used to mark the territory and, in the case of skunks, as a defense weapon.

Classification

Feliformes

All the members of this suborder share a structure: the auditory chambers, which are bony capsules made up of two bones joined by a septum, which enclose the middle and inner ear. These make the animals in this group have a highly developed sense of hearing.

Feliform faces tend to be small, with specialized carnassial teeth, since their diet is basically meat. Many of the species have retractable or semi-retractable claws.

They are digitigrade, since they permanently walk supported by the toes of their legs, without settling the heel joint. This allows them to run at high speeds, while also making them very quiet when moving.

The coat is brightly colored, and may have spots or scratches. They are arboreal, although some may be semi arboreal.

The animals that make up this group tend to communicate basically in an olfactory way, using urine or secretions from the glands located in the anal area.

In this way they can delimit the territory they occupy or could be used for mating. For example, when female cats are in heat, their urine contains chemicals that attract males of their species.

Caniforms

A large part of the species that make up this suborder have non-retractable claws, with the exception of the red panda, marten and the fisherman, which have retractable or semi-retractable claws.

They are plantigrade, except for canids, which implies that when walking they fully support the sole of the foot, allowing it to stand up more easily on its hind legs.

Their diet is based on meat and some vegetables. They have a long jaw, with less specialized carnassial teeth than feliforms. Your denture also consists of premolar and molar teeth, which will help you grind and mince the pieces of meat you eat.

The auditory ampulla can be one or two chambered, made up of a single bone. They do not have bulbourethral glands or seminal vesicle. The staff, a bone that is part of the penis, is larger than that of feliforms.

The coat has simple, inconspicuous coloring. Most of the members of this species are terrestrial, although some are arboreal.

Feeding

Meat is the staple of the diet for most carnivores. However, not all species of this order of mammals feed exclusively on it. Bears and raccoons have incorporated some plants into their diet, and giant pandas eat more vegetables than meat.

Although all carnivores eat meat, at different levels, the frequency of their feeding is different. Those that are cold-blooded, such as the crocodile, consume fewer calories, which means that days or months can pass between each food intake.

Warm-blooded carnivores such as the tiger and jaguar burn a lot of calories, so they must eat and hunt frequently in order to maintain the energy level they require.

The foods they consume can include any type of meat, such as birds, eggs, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, carrion, arthropods, mollusks, crustaceans; or vegetables such as fruits, nuts, tubers, leaves and plankton, among others.

Classification according to levels of meat consumption

Hypercarnivores

They are those animals whose diet is based on at least 70% meat. They have strong musculature, which helps them capture and retain prey, cut meat or crush cartilage and bones. In addition, they have carnal teeth, except for the seal crabeater species.

Although they could consume small amounts of plant matter, these specimens do not have a physiology capable of digesting them. Also, they possibly consume other products of animal origin, such as honey, but these are not necessary for their diet, and they can survive without them.

Some animals belonging to this group are lions, crocodiles, tigers, the jaguar and the killer whale.

Mesocarnivores

They are animals that depend on meat, at least between 30 and 70%, to fulfill their diet. To supplement their nutritional need, this group of carnivores eat fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms.

Their teeth have different shapes (heterodonts). The incisors and fangs are used to catch prey; the premolars are pointed, holding and piercing the meat; and the molars fulfill the function of cutting and grinding the piece.

Its body size is medium. Some examples are raccoons, foxes, martens and coyotes.

Hypocarnivores

All those animals that eat the least amount of meat belong to this group, around 30%. Their diet is based on meat, fish, berries, mushrooms, fruits, roots and nuts.

These have smaller carnassial teeth and larger molars, so that they can consume each type of food. The grizzly bear, the black bear, and the binturong are some of the animals representing this group.

Examples of mammalian species

Adapted to the earth

Cheetahs

The cheetah is the fastest land animal. Your heart is large, allowing it to pump blood harder throughout your body. The lungs and nostrils are wide, being able to absorb more oxygen. The tail is long, giving it stability when chasing prey. Its claws are not retractable, improving its traction.

Jackal

They are predatory animals, although they can also be scavengers. Its long legs, which have large plants, will make it easier for it to perform the long-distance runs to reach its prey.

Cougar

Puma of the Andes

Its head is rounded, with pointed ears. Its jaw has powerful musculature that, together with its fangs, allow it to catch, kill and tear large prey.

Its front legs are strong, with the back legs being slightly higher, which makes it easier for it to perform high-altitude jumps and have speed in short-distance races.

Polar Bear

The ears and tails are reduced to, together with the thick layer of body fat, improve the maintenance of body heat.

The coat is translucent and is made up of many hollow hairs, which fill with air and function as a thermal insulator. Their skin is black, which will better attract solar radiation.

Adapted to water and land

Elephant Seal (Mirounga)

These animals live mostly in the high seas, approaching land to reproduce and suckle. This causes them to stay on land for long periods of time, staying dry for a few weeks.

It has large and round eyes, this being favorable when hunting its prey. Its body looks like a torpedo, which favors its movement through the water. The elephant seal's body stores large amounts of blood, thus storing enough oxygen to use when submerged in the sea.

There is an aspect that characterizes them, sexual dimorphism. Males can reach over 6 meters and have an elongated trunk-like snout. The females do not reach 3 meters.

Walrus

This species lives mainly near the Arctic Circle. They are social animals, although during the mating season they tend to become aggressive.

Their skin is thick, about 4 centimeters thick. Beneath this there is a layer of fat, fulfilling the function of thermal insulator. They have the ability to slow down the heart rate to withstand the low temperatures of their habitat.

The main characteristic of this species are its fangs, present in males and females. They are two and can be 1 meter long. Walruses use them to propel themselves out of cold water and to cut holes in the ice, when submerged, to breathe.

The males use their fangs to defend their territory and their females during the mating period.

References

1. Wikipedia (2018). Carnivora. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org.
2. Phil Myers, Allison Poor (2018). Carnivora, carnivores. Animal diversity web. Recovered from animaldiversity.org.
3. Howard Stains, Serge Lariviere (2018). Carnivore. Mammal order- Encyplopedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com.
4. New world encyclopedia (2008). Carnivora. Recovered from newworldencyclopedia.org.
5. Alina Bradford (2016). Carnivores: Facts About Meat Eaters. Live science. Recovered from livescuence.com.
6. Wikipedia (2018). Hypocarnivore. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org.
7. Wikipedia (2018). Hypercarnivore. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org.