what level of classification is carnivora

Full Answer

What is the order Carnivora?

The order Carnivora is the fifth largest order of mammals, comprising at least 279 species. Carnivorans live on every major landmass and in a variety of habitats, ranging the cold polar regions to the hyper-arid region of the Sahara Desert to the open seas. They come in a very large array of different body plans in contrasting shapes and sizes.

What is the scientific name of carnivore?

Carnivora / kɑːrˈnɪvərə / is an order of placental mammals that have specialized in primarily eating flesh. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, though some species are omnivorous, such as raccoons and bears, and quite a few species such as pandas are specialized herbivores.

What characteristics distinguish Carnivora from other mammals?

There is great diversity in Carnivora, especially among the highly specialized pinnipeds. Thus, the characteristics used to separate Carnivora from other mammalian orders and to define the subdivisions of Carnivora are primarily structural.

What is the phylogeny of the Carnivora?

Their molecular phylogeny shows the extant Carnivora are a monophyletic group, the crown group of the Carnivoramorpha. From there carnivorans have split into two clades based on the composition of the bony structures that surround the middle ear of the skull, the cat-like feliforms and the dog-like caniforms.

Is Carnivora an order or class?

TherapsidFeraeFerungulataCarnivores/Order

What phylum is Carnivora in?

ChordateGnathosto...Carnivores/Phylum

What are the characteristics of class Carnivora?

All carnivores have elongated and pointed canines with a conical shape called tusks which are used to kill prey; the premolar and molar teeth have a pointed shape with one or more sharp cusps; the so-called carnassial or sectorial teeth are composed of the fourth upper premolar (P4) and the first lower molar (M1), they ...

Are all animals in Carnivora carnivores?

Members of Carnivora have diverse food habits, although many are primarily carnivorous, and carnivory is widely distributed in mammals, being found in many other orders including bats, marsupial mammals, primates, and dolphins and whales.

What are the classification of animals?

AnimaliaAnimal / Scientific name

What animals belong to Carnivora?

Carnivora is the order of eutherian mammals that includes wolves, dogs, cats, raccoons, bears, weasels, hyaenas, seals, and walruses, to name just a few.

What is the definition for Carnivora?

1 capitalized : an order of eutherian mammals that are mostly carnivorous and have teeth adapted for flesh eating. 2 : carnivorous animals especially : members of the order Carnivora.

Which two families are included in Carnivora?

Order carnivora includes families such as felidae (include cats) and cancidae (include dogs).

Are all mammals carnivores?

Some groups of mammals almost exclusively eat meat--take lions and tigers and other big cats as examples. Other mammals such as deer, cows and antelope are predominantly plant-eaters, living on a diet of leaves, shoots, fruits and bark.

Are humans Carnivora?

One example of such a myth is that man is naturally a vegetarian. And the rationale is that the human body resembles plant-eaters and not carnivores. But as a matter of fact, humans are omnivores. We may eat meat or plant foods.

What was the first carnivore?

Among more familiar species, the first vertebrate carnivores were fish, and then amphibians that moved on to land. Early tetrapods were large amphibious piscivores. The first tetrapods, or land-dwelling vertebrates, were piscivorous amphibians called labyrinthodonts.

Is snake a carnivore?

All snakes are carnivores. Their diet depends on the species. Some eat warm-blooded prey (e.g., rodents, rabbits, birds), while others eat insects, amphibians (frogs or toads), eggs, other reptiles, fish, earthworms, or slugs. Snakes swallow their food whole.

Are all mammals carnivores?

Some groups of mammals almost exclusively eat meat--take lions and tigers and other big cats as examples. Other mammals such as deer, cows and antelope are predominantly plant-eaters, living on a diet of leaves, shoots, fruits and bark.

What makes an animal a Felidae?

All members of the cat family have the following characteristics in common: They are digitigrade, have five toes on their forefeet and four on their hind feet. Their curved claws are protractile and attached to the terminal bones of the toe with ligaments and tendons.

What is the kingdom of a tiger?

AnimalTiger / Kingdom

Is a stoat a rodent?

The stoat is the product of a process that began 5–7 million years ago, when northern forests were replaced by open grassland, thus prompting an explosive evolution of small, burrowing rodents.

What is the name of the article that describes carnivores?

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article " Carnivora ".

What is a carnivore?

Carnivora / kɑːrˈnɪvərə / is an order of placental mammals that have specialized in primarily eating flesh.

What is the fifth largest order of mammals?

The order Carnivora is the fifth largest order of mammals and one of the more successful members of the group, as it comprises at least 279 species. Carnivorans live on every major landmass and in a variety of habitats, ranging the cold polar regions to the hyper-arid region of the Sahara Desert to the open seas.

What are the characteristics of carnivores?

Despite this the two groups of carnivorans share several unique traits, one being the presence of the carnassial teeth. In carnivorans the carnassial pair is made up by the fourth upper premolar and the first lower molar teeth. There is variation among the carnassial pair depending on the family.

What is the order of Tapocyon robustus?

Life reconstruction of Tapocyon robustus, a species of miacid. The order Carnivora belongs to a group of mammals known as Laurasiatheria, which also includes other groups such as bats and ungulates. Within this group the carnivorans are placed in the clade Ferae.

What are the two subclades of carnivores?

Carnivora can be divided into two subclades: the cat-like Feliformia and the dog-like Caniformia, which are differentiated based on the structure of their ear bones and cranial features. The feliforms include families such as the cats, the hyenas, the mongooses and the viverrids.

What are the closest carnivores to the stem clade?

The closest stem-carnivorans are the miacoids. The miacoids include the families Viverravidae and Miacidae, and together the Carnivora and Miacoidea form the stem-clade Carnivoramorpha. The miacoids were small, genet-like carnivoramorphs that occupy a variety of niches such as terrestrial and arboreal habitats.

What is the order of carnivores?

Most members of the order Carnivora can be recognized by their enlarged fourth upper premolar and first lower molar, which together form an efficient shear for cutting meat and tendon. These teeth are referred to as the carnassial pair. The exceptions are a few forms, such as bears, raccoons, and seals, in which these teeth are secondarily modified. ( Stains, 1984; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

How many species of carnivores are there?

We recognize 13 extant families and around 270 species of Carnivora.

How many carnivores are endangered?

Members of Carnivora have been feared, persecuted, and exploited by humans for centuries. There are currently 122 species on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species. Of these, 11 are near threatened, 9 are lower risk, 39 are vulnerable, 33 are endangered, 6 are critically endangered, 5 have recently gone extinct, and one, black-footed ferrets ( Mustela nigripes ), is extinct in the wild, although reintroduction efforts show promise. Another 18 are listed as data deficient. Major threats to carnivorans include habitat loss and degradation and hunting for sport and profit. Rare species often fetch top dollar on the black market, even though trade in these species is strictly regulated by CITES and by national laws. Captive breeding programs may be the last chance for the survival of some species, such as giant pandas ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ). In some cases, reintroduction of species into areas where they were previously extirpated has been successful, as with the wolves of Yellowstone. In order to save carnivorans from extinction in the long term, large swaths of habitat and healthy populations of prey species must be preserved in all parts of the world, and humans must learn to coexist peacefully with these animals. ( IUCN, 2004; Schaller, 1996)

How much does a carnivore weigh?

Least weasels ( Mustela nivalis ), the smallest carnivores, can weigh as little as 35 grams, and male southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ), the largest carnivores, can weigh more than 3,600 kg. Many carnivore species are sexually dimorphic in size.

What are the main food sources of carnivores?

Animal matter makes up a substantial portion of the diet of most carnivorans. However, not all members of Carnivora are carnivorous. Some, such as bears and raccoons, are decidedly omnivorous, and giant pandas are primarily vegetarian. Foods consumed by carnivorans include mammals, birds and eggs, reptiles, amphibians, fish, carrion, insects and other arthropods, earthworms, mollusks, crustaceans, fruit, nuts, tubers, leaves, shoots, and plankton (on which crabeater seals specialize). ( Ewer, 1973; Reeves, et al., 2002; Stains, 1984; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Why are carnivores important?

Carnivorans are important predators in many ecosystems, acting as a "top-down" control on populations of their prey. Many are such an important control on their prey that they act as keystone species, and their removal has drastic consequences for the ecosystem. For example, wolves were recently reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after being extirpated for nearly 70 years, and their predation on elk has allowed woody plants to recover from overbrowsing. ( Ripple and Beschta, 2003)

What is the name of the group of mammals that are carnivorous?

Diversity. Members of the mammalian order Carnivora are the descendants of a successful late Paleocene radiation of mammals whose primitive food habits were carnivorous. The name "Carnivora" is sometimes taken to mean that members of this group are all carnivorous or that all carnivorous mammals are members of this group.

How many levels of classification are there for a domestic cat?

The Seven Levels of Classification for a Domestic Cat

What class of animal is a cat?

Because cats have hair, three middle-ear bones and mammary glands, which produce milk for their young, they belong to the class Mammalia, which includes all mammals. More specifically, cats are placental mammals, or eutherians, who primarily nourish their fetal young through a placenta inside the womb.

What is the genus of cats?

Since domestic cats are small felines, they are placed in the genus Felis. Although the cats in this genus are smaller than some of the "large" cats, such as lions and tigers, there is still a significant range of sizes. For example, the domestic cat and the mountain lion are both classified as "small" or "lesser" cats, even though the mountain lion is larger than the leopard, which is a "big" cat. The most distinguishing feature of this genus is that none of its members can roar, as large cats can. Some classification systems place only the very small cats into the genus Felis , such as the wildcat and jungle cat.

What is the name of the family of cats that have a reflective membrane?

Domestic and wild cats make up the family Felidae. This family is characterized by short muzzles and a reflective membrane over their eyes, which gives them excellent vision. They are also agile, have excellent balance, and possess partially or completely retractable claws -- all characteristics which make them excellent hunters.

What is the name of the family of cats that eats meat?

Cats are among the most carnivorous of the carnivores, feeding almost exclusively on meat. Felidae. Domestic and wild cats make up the family Felidae.

What is the order of cats?

Cats are meat eaters in the order Carnivora. Like all members of this group, they have large canine teeth, three pairs of incisors and sharp carnassial teeth where other mammals' premolars would be. This allows them to efficiently slice and tear through the flesh of other animals. They are also distinguished by a fixed jaw, which can only move up and down and not side to side as the jaws of many other mammals can. Cats are among the most carnivorous of the carnivores, feeding almost exclusively on meat.

What kingdom does a cat belong to?

The domestic cat belongs to the kingdom Animalia, which includes all animals. Animals are made up of many cells, all of which lack the cell walls that characterize plants and fungi. These cells are organized into larger units called tissues in all animals except for sponges, and often form complex groups of tissues called organs. Animals cannot make their own food like plants, but must rely on catching and ingesting other organisms. To this end, most animals have the ability to move in more complex ways than the organisms of any other kingdom.

What are Taxonomic Levels of Classification?

Linnaeus proposed seven levels of taxonomic rank, with each level referred to as a taxon. The seven taxons that Linnaeus proposed from broadest to most specific were:

What is the most specific taxon?

Species are the most specific taxon and the second part of binomial nomenclature. For example, the species contained in the genus Panthera are:

What is the classification system for living things?

Taxonomic classification is the hierarchical classification system for living things that groups organisms from most broad to most specific ending with binomial nomenclature. Binomial nomenclature includes the genus and species name and is used to identify organisms. Taxonomic classification was pioneered by Carolus Linnaeus in the 1700s based on organism morphology. Since then, scientists have learned much more about living things and have revised the categories to include this new information. The categories or taxons used today from most broad to most specific are:

What is the next most specific taxon underneath a kingdom?

Phylum is the next most specific taxon underneath kingdom. Each kingdom has many phyla and there are too many to describe them all here. For example, the phylum in kingdom Animalia includes:

What is the largest phylum of animals?

Platyhelminthes are flatworms and Annelida contains earthworms and related species. Molluska includes marine mollusks like octopuses and squids, as well as bivalves, snails, and slugs. Arthropoda is the largest phylum of animals and includes all insects. Chordata includes all organisms with a backbone, including humans.

What is a genera?

Genus is the taxon below the family and is part of binomial nomenclature. For example, the genera in family Felidae are:

What is an animalia?

Animalia-contains all animals (multicellular organisms that are motile and need to eat to get energy)

What are the levels of classification in the Linnaean system?

As scientists have discovered new species and evolutionary history has come into sharper focus, many levels have been added to the Linnaean system of classification, such as phylum, superclass, subclass, family and tribe. Regardless of the level, when a group of organisms is being described, they are now called a taxon, or taxa for plural groups.

How many species did Linnaeus classify?

By the time Linnaeus published the 10th edition of his book in 1758, he had classified approximately 4,400 animal species and 7,700 plant species. Each species was identified by two names, much like a person’s first name and last name. Before Linnaeus’ classification system, it was not uncommon for a species’ scientific name to have eight parts.

What changes have been made to the Linnaean classification system over time?

Many adjustments have been made to the Linnaean classification system over time as scientists have made discoveries about fossils, DNA sequencing and molecular biology, among others. Linnaeus focused mostly on the physical characteristics of species, which is considered insufficient now.

How many genera were there in Aristotlean taxonomy?

Aristotlean taxonomy divided animals into those with blood, and those without. The blooded animals were further divided into five genera (the plural of genus; this is also a term used by modern classification of species, but in a different manner). These were:

What is Aristotle's system of classification called?

His ideas built on those of his teacher Plato and others. Aristotle’s system of classification bore the name Scalae Naturae, which means the "Ladder of Life" when translated from the Latin. It is also called the "Chain of Being.".

Why did scientists change the classification system of Linnaeus?

Modern scientists have proposed and implemented a number of changes to Linnaean classification in order to account for ever-expanding knowledge of the evolutionary and genetic relationships between species. Much of Linnaeus’ system was removed or altered, in fact, except for the kingdom Animalia.

Who created the Linnaean classification system?

By Rebecca E. The Linnaean classification system of organisms was developed in 1758 by a Swedish botanist named Carl Linnaeus. He was also known as Carl von Linné and Carolus Linnaeus, the latter of which was his Latin name. All living things on Earth are descended from a single common ancestor.

Overview

Systematics

Etymology

Phylogeny

Anatomy and physiology

Relationship with humans

See also

External links