View source for Carnivora

{{short description|Order of mammals}}
{{About||information on all meat-eating organisms|Carnivore|the alternative medicine named "Carnivorans"|Venus flytrap#In alternative medicine}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Carnivorans
| fossil_range = {{fossil_range|51.88|0|earliest=66.0}}[[Early Eocene]] – [[Holocene]]<ref name="Foley-Mason2023">{{Cite journal |last1=Foley |first1=N. M. |last2=Mason |first2=V. C. |last3=Harris |first3=A. J. |last4=Bredemeyer |first4=K. R. |last5=Damas |first5=J. |last6=Lewin |first6=H. A. |last7=Eizirik |first7=E. |last8=Gatesy |first8=J. |last9=Karlsson |first9=E. K. |last10=Lindblad-Toh |first10=K. |last11=Zoonomia Consortium |last12=Springer |first12=M. S. |last13=Murphy |first13=W. J. |year=2023 |title=A genomic timescale for placental mammal evolution |journal=Science |volume=380 |issue=6643 |at=eabl8189 |doi=10.1126/science.abl8189 |pmc=10233747 |pmid=37104581}}</ref>
| image = <imagemap>
File:Carnivora_portraits.jpg|300px
rect 580 485 0 0 [[Cheetah]]
rect 581 487 1190 971 [[Wolf]]

rect 0 486 577 972 [[Spotted hyena]]
rect 582 0 1191 485 [[Brown bear]]

rect 0 975 577 1387 [[Binturong]]
rect 582 974 1190 1388 [[Raccoon]]

rect 0 1392 577 1805 [[Indian grey mongoose]]
rect 581 1391 1188 1807 [[American mink]]

rect 0 1811 577 2231 [[Fossa (animal)|Fossa]]
rect 581 1810 1190 2231 [[Walrus]]
</imagemap>
| image_upright = 1.15
| image_caption = Various carnivorans, with [[feliform]]s to the left, and [[caniform]]s to the right
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Carnivora
| authority = [[Thomas Edward Bowdich|Bowdich]], 1821<ref name="Bowditch, T. E 1821. pages 24, 33">Bowditch, T. E. 1821. An analysis of the natural classifications of Mammalia for the use of students and travelers J. Smith Paris. 115. (refer pages 24, 33)</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Suborders
| subdivision = * [[Caniformia]]
* [[Feliformia]]
| synonyms = {{collapsible list |bullets=true |title=List of synonyms:
|Caniformes {{small|(Zagorodniuk, 2008)}}<ref>Zagorodniuk, I. (2008) [https://www.academia.edu/27585773/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%96_%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B8_%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B4%D1%96%D0%B2_%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%86%D1%96%D0%B2_%D0%B2%D1%96%D0%B4_%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%85_%D0%B4%D0%BE_%D1%83%D0%BD%D1%96%D1%84%D1%96%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%85_Scientific_names_of_mammalian_orders_from_descriptive_to_uniform_ "Scientific names of mammal orders: from descriptive to uniform"] Visnyk of Lviv University, Biology series, Is. 48. P. 33–43</ref><ref>Zagorodniuk, I. (2014) [http://terioshkola.org.ua/library/pts12-divers/pts12-11-zag-mamdivers.pdf "Changes In Taxonomic Diversity Of Ukrainian Mammals For The Last Three Centuries: Extinct, Phantom And Alien Species"]. ''Proceedings of the Theriological School'', Vol. 12: 3–16</ref>
|Carnaria {{small|(Haeckel, 1866)}}<ref>Haeckel, Ernst (1866.) [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/52177#page/11/mode/1up "Generelle Morphologie der Organismen."] Berlin: Georg Reimer.</ref>
|Carnassidentia {{small|(Wortman, 1901)}}<ref>J. L. Wortman (1901.) [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40243865#page/157/mode/1up "Studies of Eocene Mammalia in the Marsh Collection, Peabody Museum."] The American Journal of Science, series 4 12:193-206</ref>
|Carnivoramorphia {{small|(Kalandadze & Rautian, 1992)}}<ref>Kalandadze, N. N. and S. A. Rautian (1992.) "Systema mlekopitayushchikh i istorygeskaya zoogeographei [The system of mammals and historical zoogeography]." Sbornik Trudov Zoologicheskogo Muzeya Moskovskogo Goschdarstvennoro Universiteta 29:44–152.</ref>
|Carnivores {{small|(Cuvier, 1817)}}<ref>Georges Cuvier, Pierre André Latreille (1817.) [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_H9sTAAAAQAAJ/page/n3/mode/2up "Le Règne Animal Distribué d'après son Organisation, pour Servir de Base à l'Histoire Naturelle des Animaux et d'Introduction à l'Anatomie Comparée"] Déterville libraire, Imprimerie de A. Belin, Paris, 4 Volumes</ref>
|Carnivori {{small|(Vieq d'Azyr, 1792)}}<ref>Félix Vicq-Dazyr (1792.) [https://books.google.com/books?id=8E5wN2Ake3kC&pg=PP9 "Encyclopédie Méthodique, Vol. 2: Système Anatomique, Quadrupèdes"] Panckoucke</ref>
|Carnivorida {{small|(Pearse, 1936)}}<ref>Arthur Sperry Pearse, (1936) [https://archive.org/details/zoologicalnamesl1936pear/page/24/mode/2up?q=Creodontina "Zoological names. A list of phyla, classes, and orders, prepared for section F, American Association for the Advancement of Science"] American Association for the Advancement of Science</ref><ref>G. G. Simpson (1952) [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2411849?seq=1 "For and Against Uniform Endings in Zoological Nomenclature"] in "Systematic Zoology Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring, 1952)", pp. 20–23, Published By: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.</ref>
|Carnivoriformes {{small|(Kinman, 1994)}}<ref>Kenneth E. Kinman (1994.) "The Kinman System: Toward a Stable Cladisto-Eclectic Classification of Organisms: Living and Extinct, 48 Phyla, 269 Classes, 1,719 Orders", Hays, Kan. (P. O. Box 1377, Hays 67601), 88 pages</ref>
|Carnivoripedida {{small|(Vyalov, 1966)}}<ref>O. S. Vyalov (1966.) "Sledy Zhiznedeyatel'nosti Organizmov i ikh Paleontologicheskoye Znacheniye [Traces of Vital Activity of Organisms and their Paleontological Significance]" Naukova Dumka, Kyiv, 1-219</ref>
|Cynofeliformia {{small|(Ginsburg, 1982)}}
|Cynofeloidea {{small|(Hough, 1953)}}<ref>Hough, J. R. (1953.) [https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0243g/report.pdf "Auditory region in North American fossil Felidae: Its significance in phylogeny."] United States Geological SurveyProfessional Papers, 243-G,95–115.</ref>
|Cynosia {{small|(Rafinesque, 1815)}}<ref name="Rafinesque1815">{{Cite book |last=Rafinesque |first=Constantine Samuel |date=1815 |title=Analyse de la Nature ou tableau de l'univers et des corps organisés |volume=1815 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/188066#page/11/mode/1up |publisher=Palermo, Aux dépens de l'auteur, 223 pp.}}</ref>
|Digitigrada {{small|(Illiger, 1811)}}<ref>Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger (1811.) [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/188747#page/7/mode/1up "Prodromus Systematis Mammalium et Avium."] Berlin: Sumptibus C. Salfeld, xviii, 301 pages</ref>
|Digitigradae {{small|(Gray, 1821)}}<ref name="Gray1821">{{cite journal |last=Gray |first=J. E. |year=1821 |title=On the natural arrangement of vertebrose animals |url=https://archive.org/stream/londonmedicalre08unkngoog#page/n314/mode/1up |journal=London Medical Repository |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=296–310}}</ref>
|Eucarnivora {{small|(Mekayev, 2002)}}<ref>Mekayev, Y. A. (2002.) "The faunagenesis and classification of mammals." Petrov’s Academy of Sciences and Arts, St. Petersburg, 1–895.</ref>
|Ferae {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}}<ref name=Linnaeus1758/>
|Fissipeda {{small|(Blumenbach, 1791)}}<ref>Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1791.) [https://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/view/blumenbach_naturgeschichte_1791?p=5 "Handbuch der Naturgeschichte. Vierte auflage."] Göttingen, Johann Christian Dieterich, xii+704+[33] pp., 3 pls.</ref>
|Neocarnivora {{small|(Radinsky, 1977)}}<ref>Leonard Radinsky (1977.) [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/abs/brains-of-early-carnivores/AE507D4080D40AA8254D1306CC349824 "Brains of early carnivores."] Paleobiology, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 333 – 349</ref>
|Plantigrada {{small|(Illiger, 1811)}}
}}
| range_map = Carnivora_Distribution.png
| range_map_caption = The extant distribution and density of Carnivora species.
}}

'''Carnivora''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ɑr|ˈ|n|ɪ|v|ər|ə}} {{respell|kar|NIV|ər|ə}}) is an [[Order (biology)|order]] of [[Placentalia|placental mammals]] specialised primarily in eating flesh, whose members are formally referred to as '''carnivorans'''. The order Carnivora is the sixth largest order of mammals,<ref name=ASM>{{cite web |url= https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxa.html |title= Higher Taxonomy |author= <!--Not stated--> |date=  |website= ASM Mammal Diversity Database |publisher= American Society of Mammalogy |access-date= 22 August 2024 |archive-date= 25 December 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221225080800/https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxa.html |url-status= dead }}</ref> comprising at least 279 [[species]]. Carnivorans are found on every major landmass and in a variety of habitats, ranging from the cold [[polar regions of Earth]] to the hyper-arid region of the [[Sahara Desert]] and the open seas. Carnivorans exhibit a wide array of body plans, varying greatly in size and shape.

Carnivora are divided into two [[suborder]]s, the [[Feliformia]], containing the true [[felid]]s and several {{nowrap|"[[cat]]-like"}} animals; and the [[Caniformia]], containing the true [[canid]]s and many {{nowrap|"[[dog]]-like"}} animals. The feliforms include the [[Felidae]], [[Viverridae]], [[hyena]], and [[mongoose]] families, the majority of which live only in the Old World; cats are the only exception, occurring in the Old World and the New World, entering the Americas via the [[Bering land bridge]]. The caniforms include the [[Caninae]], [[Procyonidae]], [[bear]]s, [[mustelid]]s, [[skunk]]s, and [[pinniped]]s that occur worldwide with immense diversity in their morphology, diet, and behaviour.

==Etymology==
The word ''Carnivora'' is derived from [[Latin]] ''carō'' (stem ''carn-'') 'flesh' and ''vorāre'' 'to devour'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carnivora {{!}} Etymology of the name Carnivora by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Carnivora |website=www.etymonline.com |access-date=13 February 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

==Phylogeny==
The oldest known carnivoran line mammals ([[Carnivoramorpha]]) appeared in [[North America]] 6&nbsp;million years after the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event]].<ref name="hunter2018">{{cite book|last1=Hunter|first1=L.|title=Field Guide to Carnivores of the World.|publisher=Bloomsbury Wildlife|year=2018|isbn=978-1472950796|pages=1–271}}</ref><ref name="Polly" /> These early ancestors of carnivorans would have resembled small weasel or [[genet (animal)|genet]]-like mammals, occupying a nocturnal shift on the forest floor or in the trees, as other groups of mammals like the [[Mesonychia|mesonychians]] and later the [[creodont]]s were occupying the megafaunal faunivorous niche. However, following the extinction of mesonychians and the [[Oxyaenidae|oxyaenid]] creodonts at the end of the Eocene, carnivorans quickly moved into this niche, with forms like the [[Nimravidae|nimravids]] being the dominant large-bodied ambush predators during the Oligocene alongside the [[Hyaenodonta|hyaenodont]] creodonts (which similarly produced larger, more open-country forms at the start of the Oligocene). By the time [[Miocene]] epoch appeared, most if not all of the major lineages and families of carnivorans had diversified and become the most dominant group of large terrestrial predators in Eurasia and North America, with various lineages being successful in megafaunal faunivorous niches at different intervals during the Miocene and later epochs.

==Systematics==
===Evolution===
[[Image:Tapocyon robustus.jpg|thumb|Life reconstruction of ''[[Tapocyon]] robustus'', a species of [[Miacidae|miacid]]]]

The order Carnivora belongs to a group of mammals known as [[Laurasiatheria]], which also includes other groups such as [[bat]]s and [[ungulate]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Waddell | first1 = Peter J.| last2 = Okada | first2 = Norihiro| last3 = Hasegawa | first3 = Masami| doi = 10.1093/sysbio/48.1.1 | title = Towards Resolving the Interordinal Relationships of Placental Mammals | journal = [[Systematic Biology]] | volume = 48 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–5 | year = 1999 | pmid = 12078634| doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name=Tsagkogeorga2013>{{cite journal |last1=Tsagkogeorga |first1=G |last2=Parker |first2=J |last3=Stupka |first3=E |last4=Cotton |first4=J.A. |last5=Rossiter |first5=S.J. |year=2013 |title=Phylogenomic analyses elucidate the evolutionary relationships of bats |journal=Current Biology |volume=23 |issue=22 |pages=2262–2267 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2013.09.014 |pmid=24184098|doi-access=free |bibcode=2013CBio...23.2262T }}</ref> Within this group the carnivorans are placed in the clade [[Ferae]]. Ferae includes the closest extant relative of carnivorans, the [[pangolin]]s, as well as several extinct groups of mostly [[Paleogene]] carnivorous placentals such as the [[Creodonta|creodont]]s, the [[arctocyonia]]ns, and [[Mesonychia|mesonychian]]s.<ref name="HallidayUpchurch2015">{{cite journal|last1=Halliday|first1=Thomas J. D.|last2=Upchurch|first2=Paul|last3=Goswami|first3=Anjali|title=Resolving the relationships of Paleocene placental mammals|journal=Biological Reviews|volume=92|issue=1|year=2015|pages=521–550|issn=1464-7931|doi=10.1111/brv.12242|pmid=28075073|url=http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1473028/1/Halliday_et_al-Biological_Reviews.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1473028/1/Halliday_et_al-Biological_Reviews.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|pmc=6849585}}</ref> The creodonts were originally thought of as the sister taxon to the carnivorans, perhaps even ancestral to, based on the presence of the [[Carnassial|carnassial teeth]],<ref>{{cite book | last = McKenna | first = M. C. | date = 1975 | chapter = Toward a phylogenetic classification of the Mammalia | pages = 21–46 | editor1-first = W. P. | editor1-last = Luckett | editor2-first = F. S. | editor2-last = Szalay | title = Phylogeny of the Primates | publisher = Plenum | location = New York }}</ref> but the nature of the carnassial teeth is different between the two groups. In carnivorans, the carnassials are positioned near the front of the molar row, while in the creodonts, they are positioned near the back of the molar row,<ref>{{cite book|first1=George A.|last1=Feldhamer|first2=Lee C.|last2=Drickamer|first3=Stephen H.|last3=Vessey|first4=Joseph F.|last4=Merritt|first5=Carey|last5=Krajewski|title=Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology|location=Baltimore|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|year=2015|page=[https://archive.org/details/mammalogyadaptat03edunse/page/356 356]|isbn=978-0801886959|url=https://archive.org/details/mammalogyadaptat03edunse/page/356}}</ref> and this suggests a separate evolutionary history and an order-level distinction.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Alan|last1=Turner|first2=Mauricio|last2=Antón|title=Evolving Eden: An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large-Mammal Fauna|location=New York|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2004|page=77|isbn=978-0-231-11944-3}}</ref> In addition, phylogenetic analysis suggests that creodonts are more closely related to pangolins while mesonychians might be the sister group to carnivorans and their stem-relatives.<ref name="HallidayUpchurch2015"/>

The closest stem-carnivorans are the [[Miacoidea|miacoid]]s. 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. Studies have shown that while viverravids are a monophyletic basal group, the miacids are paraphyletic with respect to Carnivora (as shown in the phylogeny below).<ref name = Bryant2004>Bryant, H.N., and M. Wolson (2004) [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706090739/http://www.ohiou.edu/phylocode/IPNM.pdf "Phylogenetic Nomenclature of Carnivoran Mammals."] ''First International Phylogenetic Nomenclature Meeting''. Paris, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle</ref><ref name = asdff>{{cite book |author1=John J. Flynn |author2=John A. Finarelli |author3=Michelle Spaulding |year=2010 |chapter=Phylogeny of the Carnivora and Carnivoramorpha, and the use of the fossil record to enhance understanding of evolutionary transformations |editor1=Anjali Goswami |editor2=Anthony Friscia |title=Carnivoran evolution. New views on phylogeny, form and function |url=https://archive.org/details/carnivoranevolut00gosw |url-access=limited |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/carnivoranevolut00gosw/page/n40 25]–63 |isbn=9781139193436 |doi=10.1017/CBO9781139193436.003}}</ref>

Carnivoramorpha as a whole first appeared in the [[Paleocene]] of North America about 60&nbsp;million years ago.<ref name=Polly>{{cite journal | author = Polly, David, Gina D. Wesley-Hunt, Ronald E. Heinrich, Graham Davis and Peter Houde | year = 2006 | title = Earliest known carnivoran auditory bulla and support for a recent origin of crown-clade carnivora (Eutheria, Mammalia) | journal = Palaeontology | volume = 49 | issue = 5 | pages = 1019–1027 | doi = 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00586.x | doi-access = free }}</ref> Crown carnivorans first appeared around 42&nbsp;million years ago in the [[Middle Eocene]].<ref name=Heinrich2008>{{cite journal |author=Heinrich, R.E. |author2=Strait, S.G. |author3=Houde, P. |date=January 2008 |title=Earliest Eocene Miacidae (Mammalia: Carnivora) from northwestern Wyoming |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=82 |issue=1 |pages=154–162 |doi=10.1666/05-118.1|bibcode=2008JPal...82..154H |s2cid=35030667 }}</ref> Their molecular phylogeny shows the extant Carnivora are a [[monophyletic]] group, the [[crown group]] of the [[Carnivoramorpha]].<ref name="Eizirik, E. 2010">{{cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=E. |last2=Murphy |first2=W.J. |last3=Koepfli |first3=K.P. |last4=Johnson |first4=W.E. |last5=Dragoo |first5=J.W. |last6=O'Brien |first6=S.J. |date=July 2010 |title=Pattern and timing of the diversification of the mammalian order Carnivora inferred from multiple nuclear gene sequences |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=56 |issue= 1|pages=49–63 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.033 |pmid=20138220|pmc=7034395 |bibcode=2010MolPE..56...49E }}</ref> 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 [[Feliformia|feliform]]s and the dog-like [[Caniformia|caniform]]s.<ref name="WangTedford2008">{{cite book | last1 = Wang | first1 = X. | last2 = Tedford | first2 = R. H. | year = 2008 | title = Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History| publisher = Columbia University Press |location = New York | pages = 1–232 |isbn = 978-0-231-13529-0}}</ref> In feliforms, the auditory bullae are double-chambered, composed of two bones joined by a [[septum]]. Caniforms have single-chambered or partially divided auditory bullae, composed of a single bone.<ref name="Ewer1973">{{cite book |author=R. F. Ewer |title=The Carnivores |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IETMd3-lSlkC |year=1973 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0-8014-8493-6}}</ref> Initially, the early representatives of carnivorans were small as the creodonts (specifically, the oxyaenids) and mesonychians dominated the apex predator niches during the Eocene, but in the Oligocene, carnivorans became a dominant group of apex predators with the [[Nimravidae|nimravids]], and by the [[Miocene]] most of the extant carnivoran families have diversified and become the primary terrestrial predators in the Northern Hemisphere.

===Classification of the extant carnivorans===
{{see also|List of carnivorans}}
In 1758, the [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[botanist]] [[Carl Linnaeus]] placed all carnivorans known at the time into the group [[Mammalia in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae#Ferae|Ferae]] (not to be confused with the modern concept of Ferae which also includes pangolins) in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his book ''[[Systema Naturae]]''. He recognised six genera: ''[[Canis]]'' (canids and hyaenids), ''[[Phoca]]'' (pinnipeds), ''[[Felis]]'' (felids), ''[[Viverra]]'' (viverrids, herpestids, and mephitids), ''[[Mustela]]'' (non-badger mustelids), and ''[[Ursus (genus)|Ursus]]'' (ursids, large species of mustelids, and procyonids).<ref name="Linnaeus1758">{{cite book | author = Linnaeus, C. | year = 1758 | title = Sistema naturae per regna tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus differentiis, synonimis locis. Tomus I | publisher = Impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii, Holmia | pages = 20–32}}</ref> It was not until 1821 that the English writer and traveller [[Thomas Edward Bowdich]] gave the group its modern and accepted name.<ref name="Bowditch, T. E 1821. pages 24, 33"/>

Initially, the modern concept of Carnivora was divided into two suborders: the terrestrial '''Fissipedia''' and the marine [[Pinnipedia]].<ref name="simpson1945">{{cite journal | last1 = Simpson | first1 = G.G. | year = 1945 | title = The principles of classification and a classification of mammals | journal = Bulletin of the AMNH | volume = 85 | pages = 1–350| hdl = 2246/1104 }}</ref> Below is the classification of how the extant families were related to each other after American palaeontologist [[George Gaylord Simpson]] in 1945:<ref name="simpson1945"/>
* Order Carnivora <small>Bowdich, 1821</small>
** Suborder [[Fissipedia]] <small>Blumenbach, 1791</small>
*** Superfamily [[Caniformia|Canoidea]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>
**** Family [[Canidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small> – dogs
**** Family [[Ursidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small> – bears
**** Family [[Procyonidae]] <small>Bonaparte, 1850</small> – raccoons, ringtails and coatis (also included red pandas as subfamily [[Ailurinae]], which is now treated as a family)
**** Family [[Mustelidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small> – badgers, otters, weasels and skunks (as subfamily [[Mephitinae]], now treated as family)
*** Superfamily [[Feliformia|Feloidea]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>
**** Family [[Viverridae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small> – civets and allies, including mongooses (now family [[Herpestidae]]), African palm civets (now family [[Nandiniidae]]) and  Asiatic linsangs (now family [[Prionodontidae]])
**** Family [[Hyaenidae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small> – hyenas
**** Family [[Felidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small> – cats
** Suborder [[Pinnipedia]]<small> Iliger, 1811</small>
*** Family [[Otariidae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1825</small> – eared seals
*** Family [[Odobenidae]] <small>J. A. Allen, 1880</small> – walruses
*** Family [[Phocidae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small> – earless seals

Since then, however, the methods available to mammalogists to assess the phylogenetic relationships among the carnivoran families have improved, incorporating genetics, morphology and the fossil record. Research into Carnivora phylogeny since 1945 has found [[Fissipedia]] to be paraphyletic in respect to Pinnipedia,<ref>{{Cite journal
|author1=Arnason, U. |author2=Gullberg, A. |author3=Janke, A. |author4=Kullberg, M. |title=Mitogenomic analyses of caniform relationships |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2007.06.019 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=863–74 |year=2007 |pmid=17919938|bibcode=2007MolPE..45..863A }}</ref> with pinnipeds being either more closely related to bears or to weasels.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Lento, G. M. |author2=Hickson, R. E. |author3=Chambers, G. K. |author4=Penny, D. |year=1995 |title=Use of spectral analysis to test hypotheses on the origin of pinnipeds |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=28–52 |pmid=7877495 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040189|doi-access= }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Hunt, R. M. Jr. |author2=Barnes, L. G. |year=1994|title=Basicranial evidence for ursid affinity of the oldest pinnipeds|journal=Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History|volume=29|pages=57–67|url=https://archive.org/details/cbarchive_36692_basicranialevidenceforursidaff1990|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="Higdon 2007">{{Cite journal |author1=Higdon, J. W. |author2=Bininda-Emonds, O. R. |author3=Beck, R. M. |author4=Ferguson, S. H. |title=Phylogeny and divergence of the pinnipeds (Carnivora: Mammalia) assessed using a multigene dataset |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-7-216 |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=7 |page=216 |year=2007 |issue=1 |pmid=17996107 |pmc=2245807 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2007BMCEE...7..216H }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
|author1=Sato, J. J. |author2=Wolsan, M. |author3=Suzuki, H. |author4=Hosoda, T. |author5=Yamaguchi, Y. |author6=Hiyama, K. |author7=Kobayashi, M. |author8=Minami, S. |doi=10.2108/zsj.23.125 |title=Evidence from nuclear DNA sequences sheds light on the phylogenetic relationships of Pinnipedia: Single origin with affinity to Musteloidea |journal=Zoological Science |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=125–46 |year=2006 |pmid=16603806|bibcode=2006ZooS...23..125S |hdl=2115/13508 |s2cid=25795496 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Flynn, J. J. |author2=Finarelli, J. A. |author3=Zehr, S. |author4=Hsu, J. |author5=Nedbal, M. A. |title=Molecular phylogeny of the Carnivora (Mammalia): Assessing the impact of increased sampling on resolving enigmatic relationships |doi=10.1080/10635150590923326 |journal=Systematic Biology |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=317–37 |year=2005 |pmid=16012099|doi-access=free }}</ref> The small carnivoran families Viverridae,<ref name="rspb2003">{{cite journal | last1 = Gaubert | first1 = P. | last2 = Veron | first2 = G. | year = 2003 | title = Exhaustive sample set among Viverridae reveals the sister-group of felids: the linsangs as a case of extreme morphological convergence within Feliformia | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | volume = 270 | issue = 1532| pages = 2523–2530 | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2003.2521 | pmid = 14667345 | pmc = 1691530 }}</ref> Procyonidae, and Mustelidae have been found to be [[polyphyletic]]:
* Mongooses and a handful of [[Madagascar|Malagasy]] endemic species are found to be in a clade with hyenas, with the Malagasy species being in their own family [[Eupleridae]].<ref name="Yoder & Flynn 2003">Anne D. Yoder and John J. Flynn 2003: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070612131729/http://www.biology.duke.edu/yoderlab/pdfs/ipYoderFlynnNHMad.pdf Origin of Malagasy Carnivora]</ref><ref name="Yoder et al">Yoder, A., M. Burns, S. Zehr, T. Delefosse, G. Veron, S. Goodman, J. Flynn. 2003: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070612131729/http://www.biology.duke.edu/yoderlab/pdfs/ipYoderFlynnNHMad.pdf Single origin of Malagasy Carnivora from an African ancestor – Letters to Nature]</ref><ref name="Gaubert et al 2005">Philippe Gaubert, W. Chris Wozencraft, Pedro Cordeiro-Estrela and Géraldine Veron. 2005 – Mosaics of Convergences and Noise in Morphological Phylogenies: What's in a Viverrid-Like Carnivoran?</ref>
* The African palm civet is a basal cat-like carnivoran.<ref name = MPE>{{Cite journal |title=Pattern and timing of diversification of the mammalian order Carnivora inferred from multiple nuclear gene sequences |first1=E. |last1=Eizirik |first2=W. J. |last2=Murphy |first3=K. P. |last3=Koepfli |first4=W. E. |last4=Johnson |first5=J. W. |last5=Dragoo |first6 = R. K. |last6=Wayne |first7=S. J. |last7=O'Brien |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=2010 |pages=49–63 |volume=56 |issue=1 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.033 |pmid=20138220|pmc=7034395 |bibcode=2010MolPE..56...49E }}</ref>
* The [[linsang]] is more closely related to cats.<ref name="HMW2009linsangs">{{cite book | last1 = Gaubert | first1 = P. | year = 2009 | chapter = Family Prionodontidae (Linsangs) | editor1-last = Wilson | editor1-first = D.E.| editor2-last = Mittermeier | editor2-first = R.A. | title = Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 | publisher = Lynx Ediciones | location=Barcelona | pages =170–173 | isbn = 978-84-96553-49-1}}</ref>
* Pandas are not procyonids nor are they a natural grouping.<ref name=Salesa>{{cite journal |author=Salesa, M. |author2=M. Antón |author3=S. Peigné |author4=J. Morales |year=2006 |title=Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=103 |pages=379–382 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0504899102 |pmid=16387860 |issue=2 |pmc=1326154|bibcode=2006PNAS..103..379S |doi-access=free }}</ref> The giant panda is a true bear<ref name = "Yu2007">{{cite journal |last1=Yu |first1=Li |last2=Li |first2=Yi-Wei |last3=Ryder |first3=Oliver A. |last4=Zhang |first4=Ya-Ping |title=Analysis of complete mitochondrial genome sequences increases phylogenetic resolution of bears (Ursidae), a mammalian family that experienced rapid speciation| journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |date=2007 |volume=7 |issue=198 |pages=198 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-7-198 |pmid=17956639 |pmc=2151078 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2007BMCEE...7..198Y }}</ref><ref name="krause2008">{{Cite journal | last=Krause | first=J. | author2=Unger, T. | author3=Noçon, A. | author4=Malaspinas, A. | author5=Kolokotronis, S. | author6=Stiller, M. | author7=Soibelzon, L. | author8=Spriggs, H. | author9=Dear, P. H. | author10=Briggs, A. W. | author11=Bray, S. C. E. | author12=O'Brien, S. J. | author13=Rabeder, G. | author14=Matheus, P. | author15=Cooper, A. | author16=Slatkin, M. | author17=Pääbo, S. | author18=Hofreiter, M. | title=Mitochondrial genomes reveal an explosive radiation of extinct and extant bears near the Miocene-Pliocene boundary | journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology | volume=8 | issue=220 | page=220 | year=2008 | pmid=18662376 | pmc=2518930| doi=10.1186/1471-2148-8-220 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2008BMCEE...8..220K }}</ref> while the red panda is a distinct family.<ref name="Mehta2018">{{Cite journal |last1=Mehta |first1=R. S. |last2=Slater|first2=G. J.|last3=Law|first3=C. J.|date=2018 |title=Lineage Diversity and Size Disparity in Musteloidea: Testing Patterns of Adaptive Radiation Using Molecular and Fossil-Based Methods |journal=Systematic Biology |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=127–144 |doi=10.1093/sysbio/syx047 |pmid=28472434|issn=1063-5157|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* Skunks and stink badgers are placed in their own family, and are the sister group to a clade containing Ailuridae, Procyonidae and Mustelidae ''sensu stricto''.<ref>{{cite journal  |vauthors=Koepfli KP, Deere KA, Slater GJ, etal |title=Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation |journal=BMC Biol. |volume=6 |pages=4–5 |year=2008 |article-number=10 |pmid=18275614 |doi=10.1186/1741-7007-6-10 |pmc=2276185 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Mehta2018"/>

Below is a table chart of the extant carnivoran families and number of extant species recognised by various authors of the first (2009<ref name="HMW2009">{{cite book |title=Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 |publisher=Lynx Ediciones |year=2009 |isbn=978-84-96553-49-1 |editor1-last=Wilson |editor1-first=D.E. |location=Barcelona |pages=1–728 |editor2-last=Mittermeier |editor2-first=R.A.}}</ref>) and fourth (2014<ref name="HMW2014">{{cite book |title=Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 4 |publisher=Lynx Ediciones |year=2014 |isbn=978-84-96553-93-4 |editor1-last=Wilson |editor1-first=D.E. |location=Barcelona |pages=1–614 |editor2-last=Mittermeier |editor2-first=R.A.}}</ref>) volumes of the ''Handbook of the Mammals of the World'':
{| class="wikitable"
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#c2c2a9"|'''Carnivora <small>Bowdich, 1821</small>'''
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#d9d9c1"|'''[[Feliformia]] <small>Kretzoi, 1945</small>'''
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[African palm civet|Nandinioidea]] <small>Pocock, 1929</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[African palm civet|Nandiniidae]] <small>Pocock, 1929</small>
|[[African palm civet]]
|[[Sub-Saharan Africa]]
|1
|''[[African palm civet|Nandinia binotata]]'' <small>(J. E. Gray, 1830)</small>
|[[File:Nandinia binotata 259338581.jpg|150px]]
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[Feloidea]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[Felidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>
|[[Felidae|Cats]] (including [[domestic cats]], [[tiger]]s, [[leopard]]s, [[jaguar]]s, [[lion]]s, [[cheetah]]s, [[ocelot]]s, etc.)
|[[Americas]], [[Africa]], and [[Eurasia]] (introduced to [[Madagascar]], [[Australasia]] and several islands)
|41
|''[[Cat|Felis catus]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
|[[File:Felis catus-cat on snow.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Prionodontidae]] <small>Horsfield, 1822</small>
|[[Asiatic linsang]]s
|[[Indomalayan realm]]
|2
|''[[Banded Linsang|Prionodon linsang]]'' <small>(Hardwicke, 1821)</small>
|[[File:Prionodon linsang.jpg|150px]]
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[Viverridae|Viverroidea]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[Viverridae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small>
|[[Civet]]s, [[Genet (animal)|genet]]s, and [[oyan]]s
|Southern [[Europe]], [[Indomalayan realm]], and [[Africa]] (introduced to [[Madagascar]])
|34
|''[[Large Indian civet|Viverra zibetha]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
|[[File:Large Indian Civet, Viverra zibetha in Kaeng Krachan national park.jpg|150px]]
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[Herpestoidea]] <small>Bonaparte, 1845</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[Hyaenidae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small>
|[[Hyena]]s
|[[Africa]], the [[Middle East]], the [[Caucasus]], [[Central Asia]], and the [[Indian subcontinent]]
|4
|''[[Striped Hyena|Hyaena hyaena]]'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
|[[File:Hyena at chattbir zoo.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Herpestidae]] <small>Bonaparte, 1845</small>
|[[Mongoose]]s
|[[Iberian Peninsula]], [[Africa]], the [[Middle East]], the [[Caucasus]], [[Central Asia]], and the [[Indomalayan realm]]
|34
|''[[Egyptian mongoose|Herpestes ichneumon]]'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
|[[File:Herpestes_ichneumon_Египетский_мангуст,_или_фараонова_крыса,_или_ихневмо́н.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Eupleridae]] <small>Chenu, 1850</small>
|[[Galidiinae|Malagasy mongoose]]s and [[Euplerinae|civets]]
|[[Madagascar]]
|8
|''[[Eastern falanouc|Eupleres goudotii]]'' <small>Doyère, 1835</small>
|[[File:Eupleres goudotii - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria - Genoa, Italy - DSC02711.JPG|150px]]
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#d9d9c1"|'''[[Caniformia]] <small>Kretzoi, 1945</small>'''
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[Canoidea]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[Canidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>
|[[Canidae|Dogs]] (including [[domestic dog]]s, [[wolf|wolves]], [[fox]]es, [[dingo]]es, [[jackal]]s, [[coyote]]s, etc.)
|[[Americas]], [[Africa]], and [[Eurasia]] (introduced to [[Madagascar]], [[Australasia]] and several islands)
|35
|''[[Dog|Canis familiaris]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
|[[File:2013072515020909 MyDogs 622.jpg|150px]]
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[Ursoidea]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[Ursidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>
|[[Bear]]s
|[[Americas]] and [[Eurasia]]
|8
|''[[Brown bear|Ursus arctos]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
|[[File:Kamchatka Brown Bear near Dvuhyurtochnoe on 2015-07-23.jpg|150px]]
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[Pinniped|Phocoidea]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[Odobenidae]] <small>J. A. Allen, 1880</small>
|[[Walrus]]es
|The [[North Pole]] in the [[Arctic Ocean]] and [[subarctic]] seas of the [[Northern Hemisphere]]
|1
|''[[Walrus|Odobenus rosmarus]]'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
|[[File:Walrus2.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Otariidae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1825</small>
|[[Eared seal]]s
|Subpolar, temperate, and equatorial waters throughout the [[Pacific]] and [[Southern Oceans|Southern]] Oceans and the southern [[Indian Ocean|Indian]] and [[Atlantic]] Oceans
|15
|''[[South American sea lion|Otaria flavescens]]'' <small>(Shaw, 1800)</small>
|[[File:Southern Sea Lions.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Phocidae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1821</small>
|[[Earless seal]]s
|The [[sea]] and [[Lake Baikal]]
|18
|''[[Harbor seal|Phoca vitulina]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
|[[File:White harbor seal on moss by Dave Withrow, NOAA.png|150px]]
|-
|colspan="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ebebd2"|'''[[Musteloidea]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>'''
|-
! Family !! English name !! Distribution !! Number of extant species !! Type taxon !! Image figure
|-
|[[Mephitidae]] <small>Bonaparte, 1845</small>
|[[Skunk]]s and [[stink badger]]s
|[[Americas]], western [[Philippines]], and [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]]
|12
|''[[Striped Skunk|Mephitis mephitis]]'' <small>(Schreber, 1776)</small>
|[[File:Skunk about to spray.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Ailuridae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1843</small>
|[[Red panda]]
|Eastern [[Himalayas]] and [[southwestern China]]
|1
|''[[Red panda|Ailurus fulgens]]'' <small>F. Cuvier, 1825</small>
|[[File:RedPanda SingalilaNationalPark DFrame.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Procyonidae]] <small>J. E. Gray, 1825</small>
|[[Procyon (genus)|Raccoon]]s, [[olingo]]s, [[ringtail]]s, [[coati]]s, [[cacomistle]]s, and [[kinkajou]]s
|[[Americas]] (introduced to [[Europe]], the [[Caucasus]], and [[Japan]])
|12
|''[[Raccoon|Procyon lotor]]'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
|[[File:Waschbaer auf dem Dach.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[Mustelidae]] <small>G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817</small>
|[[Weasel]]s, [[otter]]s, [[wolverine]]s, [[polecat]]s, [[badger]]s, [[marten]]s, and [[Galictis|grisons]]
|[[Americas]], [[Africa]], and [[Eurasia]] (introduced to [[Australasia]] and several islands)
|57
|''[[Stoat|Mustela erminea]]'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
|[[File:Stoat - RSPB Sandy (28058976023).jpg|150px]]
|-
|}

==Anatomy==
===Skull===
[[Image:Em - Cryptoprocta ferox - 2.jpg|thumb|Skull of a [[fossa (animal)|fossa]] (''Cryptoprocta ferox''). Note the large and conical canine and [[carnassial]] teeth common in [[feliform]]s.]]
The canine teeth are usually large, conical, thick and stress resistant. All of the terrestrial species of carnivorans have three [[incisor]]s on each side of each jaw (the exception is the [[sea otter]] (''Enhydra lutris'') which only has two lower incisor teeth).<ref name="WalkersCarnivores"/> The third [[molar (tooth)|molar]] has been lost. The carnassial pair is made up of the fourth upper premolar and the first lower molar teeth. Like most mammals, the dentition is [[heterodont]], though in some species, such as the [[aardwolf]] (''Proteles cristata''), the teeth have been greatly reduced and the cheek teeth are specialised for eating insects. In pinnipeds, the teeth are [[homodont]] as they have evolved to grasp or catch fish, and the cheek teeth are often lost.<ref name="MammalogyCarnivores"/> In bears and raccoons, the carnassial pair is secondarily reduced.<ref name="MammalogyCarnivores"/> The skulls are heavily built with a strong [[zygomatic arch]]. Often a [[sagittal crest]] is present, sometimes more evident in sexually dimorphic species such as [[sea lion]]s and [[fur seal]]s, though it has also been greatly reduced in some small carnivorans.<ref name="MammalogyCarnivores">{{cite book | last1 = Vaughan | first1 = T. A. | last2 = Ryan | first2 = J. M. | last3 = Czaplewski | first3 = N. J. | year = 2013 | title = Mammalogy | publisher = Jones & Bartlett Learning | location = Burlington, Massachusetts | pages = 1–750 |isbn = 9781284032093}}</ref> The [[braincase]] is enlarged with the [[frontoparietal]] bone at the front. In most species, the eyes are at the front of the face. In caniforms, the [[rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]] is usually long with many teeth, while in feliforms it is shorter with fewer teeth. The carnassial teeth of feliforms are generally more sectional than those of caniforms.

The [[turbinates]] are large and complex in comparison to other mammals, providing a large surface area for [[olfactory receptors]].<ref name="MammalogyCarnivores" />

===Postcranial region===
[[Image:Canis mesomelas vs. Arctocephalus pusillus.jpg|thumb|A [[black-backed jackal]] (''Lupulella mesomelas'') trying to predate on a [[brown fur seal]] (''Arctocephalus pusillus'') pup. These two species illustrate the diversity in bodyplan seen among carnivorans, especially between pinnipeds and their terrestrial relatives.]]
Aside from an accumulation of characteristics in the dental and cranial features, not much of their overall anatomy unites carnivorans as a group.<ref name="WalkersCarnivores">{{cite book | last1 = Nowak | first1 = R. M. | year = 2005 | title = Walker's Carnivores of the World | url = https://archive.org/details/walkerscarnivore00nowa | url-access = limited | publisher = Johns Hopkins University Press | location= Baltimore, Maryland | pages = [https://archive.org/details/walkerscarnivore00nowa/page/n11 1]–328 |isbn = 0801880335}}</ref> All species of carnivorans are [[quadrupedal]] and most have five digits on the front feet and four digits on the back feet. In terrestrial carnivorans, the feet have soft pads. The feet can either be [[digitigrade]] as seen in cats, hyenas, and dogs or [[plantigrade]] as seen in bears, skunks, raccoons, weasels, civets, and mongooses. In pinnipeds, the limbs have been modified into [[Flipper (anatomy)|flippers]].[[File:Panthera tigris11.jpg|thumb|alt=A tiger sleeping in a zoo|Members of the Carnivora order, like this [[tiger]], have pads on their feet.]]

Unlike [[cetacean]]s and [[sirenian]]s, which have fully functional [[tail]]s to help them swim, pinnipeds use their limbs underwater to swim. [[Earless seal]]s use their back flippers; sea lions and fur seals use their front flippers, and the [[walrus]] uses all of its limbs. As a result, pinnipeds have significantly shorter tails than other carnivorans.

Aside from the pinnipeds, dogs, bears, hyenas, and cats all have distinct and recognisable appearances. Dogs are usually [[cursorial]] mammals and are gracile in appearance, often relying on their teeth to hold prey; bears are much larger and rely on their physical strength to forage for food. Compared to dogs and bears, cats have longer and stronger forelimbs armed with retractable [[claws]] to hold on to prey. Hyenas are dog-like feliforms that have sloping backs due to their front legs being longer than their hind legs. The raccoon family and [[red panda]] are small, bear-like carnivorans with long tails. The other small carnivoran families [[Nandiniidae]], [[Prionodontidae]], [[Viverridae]], [[Herpestidae]], [[Eupleridae]], [[Mephitidae]], and [[Mustelidae]] have through [[convergent evolution]] maintained the small, ancestral appearance of the miacoids, though there is some variation seen such as the robust and stout physicality of [[badger]]s and the [[wolverine]] (''Gulo gulo'').<ref name="WalkersCarnivores" />

Most carnivoran species have a well-defined [[breeding season]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knobil |first=Ernst |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6j-mOAcNnPUC&dq=carnivora&pg=PA776 |title=Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction |date=2006 |publisher=Gulf Professional Publishing |isbn=978-0-12-515401-7 |language=en}}</ref> Male carnivorans will usually have [[baculum|bacula]], which are absent in [[hyena]]s and [[binturong]]s.<ref name="Schultz">{{Cite journal|last1=Schultz|first1=Nicholas G.|last2=Lough-Stevens|first2=Michael|last3=Abreu|first3=Eric|last4=Orr|first4=Teri|last5=Dean|first5=Matthew D.|date=2016-06-01|title=The Baculum was Gained and Lost Multiple Times during Mammalian Evolution|url= |journal=Integrative and Comparative Biology|volume=56|issue=4|language=en|pages=644–56|doi=10.1093/icb/icw034|issn=1540-7063|pmid=27252214|pmc=6080509}}</ref>

The length and density of the [[fur]] can vary depending on the environment that the species inhabits. In warm climate species, the fur is often short in length and lighter. In cold climate species, the fur is can be either dense or long, often with an oily substance that helps to retain heat. The pelage colouration differs between species, often including black, white, orange, yellow, red, and many shades of grey and brown. Some are striped, spotted, blotched, banded, or otherwise boldly patterned. There may be a correlation between habitat and colour pattern; for example, spotted or banded species tend to be found in heavily forested environments.<ref name="WalkersCarnivores"/> Some species like the grey wolf are [[polymorphism (biology)|polymorphic]] with different individual having different coat colours. The [[arctic fox]] (''Vulpes lagopus'') and the [[stoat]] (''Mustela erminea'') have fur that changes from white and dense in the winter to brown and sparse in the summer. In pinnipeds and [[polar bear]]s, a thick insulating layer of blubber helps maintain their body temperature.

==Sexual dimorphism==
{{excerpt|Sexual dimorphism in Carnivorans}}

==Relationship with humans==
Carnivorans are arguably the group of mammals of most interest to humans. The [[dog]] is noteworthy for not only being the first species of carnivoran to be [[domesticate]]d, but also the first species of any taxon. In the last 10,000 to 12,000 years, humans have selectively bred dogs for a variety of different tasks and today there are well over 400 breeds. The [[cat]] is another domesticated carnivoran. Many other species are popular, and they are often [[charismatic megafauna]]. Many civilisations have incorporated a species of carnivoran into their culture: a prominent example is the [[lion]], viewed as a symbol of power and royalty in many societies. Yet many species such as [[wolves]] and the [[big cat]]s have been broadly hunted, resulting in [[Local extinction|extirpation]] in some areas. Habitat loss and human encroachment as well as [[climate change]] have been the primary cause of many species going into decline. Four species of carnivorans have gone extinct since the 1600s: [[Falkland Island wolf]] (''Dusicyon australis'') in 1876; the [[sea mink]] (''Neogale macrodon'') in 1894; the [[Japanese sea lion]] (''Zalophus japonicus'') in 1951 and the [[Caribbean monk seal]] (''Neomonachus tropicalis'') in 1952.<ref name="hunter2018" /> Some species such as the [[red fox]] (''Vulpes vulpes'') and [[stoat]] (''Mustela erminea'') have been introduced to [[Australasia]] and have caused many native species to become endangered or even extinct.<ref>{{cite web|title=100 of the World's Worst Invasive Species|url=http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=98&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN|publisher=Invasive Species Specialist Group}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Mammal classification]]
* [[Carnivoraformes]]
* [[List of carnivorans]]
* [[List of carnivorans by population]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Carnivora}}
{{Wikibooks|Dichotomous Key|Carnivora}}
{{EB1911 poster|Carnivora}}
* [http://brainmaps.org/index.php?p=datasets-species#carnivore High-Resolution Images of Carnivore Brains]{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

{{Mammals}}
{{Carnivora}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q25306}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Carnivora| ]]
[[Category:Mammal orders]]
[[Category:Extant Lutetian first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Thomas Edward Bowdich]]