Lab 7- Order Carnivora
1) Carnassial pair common; used for shearing meat
2) Prominent sagittal crest
3) Transverse mandibular fossa
4) Large braincase
Family Canidae- Dogs, foxes and wolves
1) Digitigrade: Walk on their digits, but not on
soles of feet. Increases stride length
2) Claws do not retract, not used for attacking prey
3) Bunodont molars for crushing, broad diet
4) 2 upper molars, 3 lower molars (exceptions exist)
5) Long rostrum
Canis latrans- Coyote
1) Thin rostrum
2) Lower cheek teeth < 12 mm diameter
3) Grizzled, black-tipped tail
- Mate in pairs, produce litters of 4-7 pups
- Both parents regurgitate food for young
- Young leave group in late fall
- Social groups exist, but this dependent on food
available
Canis lupus —gray wolf
1) Broad, powerful rostrum
2) Diameter of upper canines > 12 mm
3) Post-orbital processes convex
- Complex social system with alpha male then female, betas
- pups reared by all members of pack
- pup play interactions in their first month determine rank
- ancestor to the domestic dogs
Vulpes vulpes —red fox
1) Postorbital processes concave
2) Temporal ridges form a “v” (for vulpes!)
3) Black feet; thick, bushy tail with a white tip
-Introduced into Australia for hunting
- Killed many ground-nesting birds, small marsupials
- Using fencing, poison baits to reduce numbers
Family Felidae- Cats
1) Digitigrade
2) Claws retract, used for attacking prey (cheetah is
exception)
3) Shearing molars and well-developed carnassials
4) 1-2 lower molars. Jaw shortening= increased bite force
5) Short rostrum
Lynx rufus — bobcat
1) Short tail tipped in black only on dorsal surface
2) Ears tufted, tipped in black
3) ”Normal” presphenoids
4) 2 upper premolars
-Solitary and territorial
- Will take many small prey, but mainly snowshoe hare and
cottontails
- Doesn’t live in snowy areas; excluded by lynx
Lynx canadensis — Canadian lynx
1) Short tail tipped in black dorsal and ventral
2) Ears tufted, tipped in black
3) Large paws
4) ”Winged” presphenoids
5) 2 upper premolars
-Hunt at night using sight, ambush
- Only eat snowshoe hares, follow a 10 year cycle
Puma concolor — Puma/ cougar
1) Tail >50% of BL
2) Uniformly light brown
3) 3 upper premolars
Family Mephitidae- Skunks and stink badgers
1) Black with contrast colouration
2) Bushy tails
3) Well-developed anal scent glands
4) Omnivorous
Mephitis mephitis — striped skunk
1) Unbroken white stripes on black pelage
2) It’s a skunk!
3) 1st molar squarish
4) Profile of cranium appears convex (curved)
-Will never spray each other in dominance fights
- Found close to water source
- Spray can travel up to 2-3 m. Main predators are birds
Spilogale gracilis — western spotted skunk
1) Dorsal pelage with white stripes
2) It’s a skunk! With spots
3) 1st molar squarish
4) Profile of cranium appears straight
-Rises up onto forefeet before spraying to increase warning
Family Mustelidae- Mustelids
1) Elongate bodies with short legs
2) Well-developed anal scent glands
3) Shearing molars, 1 upper that is narrow in middle
4) Prominent carnassials
5) Large braincase
Enhydra lutris — sea otter
1) Thick, gray pelage
2) Flipper-like hind feet
3) 3 upper premolars
4) Round skull with large braincase, reduced rostrum
5) No carnassials; Teeth for crunching
Lontra canadensis — river otter
1) Thick brown fur, rudder-like tail
2) Webbed feet
3) 4 upper premolars
4) Flat skull, reduced rostrum
Gulo gulo— wolverine
1) Long, dark pelage with broad, light stripes on sides
2) Looks like a large, powerful marten
3) Well-developed sagittal crest, but less so than Martes
pennanti
4) 4 upper premolars
5) Largest land weasel skull
-Ferocious, can kill prey up to five times larger
- Mating in summer, but implantation 6 months later.
- Gestation 30 to 50 days later with birthing Jan to April
Martes americana — American marten
1) Thick brown pelage, yellow patch on chest
2) 4 upper premolars
-Found with coniferous forest
- May be affected by deforestation
Martes pennanti — fisher
1) Thick brown pelage, grizzled head and neck
2) Black feet
3) Well-developed sagittal crest
4) 4 upper premolars
-Consistently eat porcupines
- Bite them on face, turn over to eat unprotected underbelly
Mustela erminea — short-tailed weasel/ ermine
1) Brown dorsal, white ventral pelage
2) Tail 30% of total length, black tip
3) 3 upper premolars
4) Auditory bullae nearly twice as long as wide
5) Posterior edge of palatines rounded
Mustela frenata — long-tailed weasel
1) Brown dorsal, yellow ventral pelage
2) Tail 50% of total length, black tip
3) 3 upper premolars
4) Auditory bullae nearly twice as long as wide
5) Posterior edge of palatines rounded (contrast to Mephitis)
Mustela nivalis — least weasel
1) Brown dorsal, white ventral pelage
2) Tail <25% of total length
3) Small
4) 3 upper premolars
5) Auditory bullae nearly twice as long as wide
6) Cranium ≤ 35 mm
Neovison vison — American mink
1) Thick, dark fur with white patches ventrally
2) Partially webbed feet
3) 3 upper premolars
4) Auditory bullae nearly twice as long as wide
5) Posterior edge of palatines rounded (contrast to Mephitis)
Taxidea taxus — American badger
1) Gray or grizzled, white stripes and patches on face
2) Powerful front limbs with long claws
3) 3 upper premolars
4) Triangular braincase
5) First upper molar a rounded triangle, not a dumbbell shape
- Like open habitat that they can dig into
- Taxidea taxus jacksoni (Ontario) endangered due to habitat
loss, fragmentation from agriculture. 0 to 200
- Taxidea taxus jeffersonii endangered due to habitat loss
from urbanization, agriculture
Family Procyonidae- Raccoons and allies
Procyon lotor- Raccoon
1) Long, ringed tails
2) Mask on face
3) Poorly developed carnassials
4) Crushing teeth
5) rounded braincase
Family Ursidae- Bears
1) Huge claws, rostrum, size
2) Massive rostrum
3) Poorly developed carnassials
4) Crushing cheek teeth
Ursus americanus — American black bear
1) Variable pelage
2) Claws on forelimbs same size as hindlimb claws
3) Rostrum straight, or convex
4) Prominent sagittal crest (less than brown bear)
Ursus arctos — Brown bear
1) Variable pelage; hump between shoulders
2) Claws on forelimbs twice length of hindlimb claws
3) Rostrum concave
4) Prominent sagittal crest
- Extirpated from prairies, special concern throughout its
range
- Population estimated at 26,000 to 29,000 animals
- At risk due to habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting (450
licenses released each year!)
- Kodiak bears a unique subspecies, males 700 kg!