What Are Carnivores?

True carnivores, of the Order Carnivora, are all mammals with fur. They give birth to live young, and nurse them on milk from the mother. Their digestive systems are designed for processing meat, not plant matter, and they have sharp teeth and claws to capture their food.

Carnivores generally have eyes that face forward, providing binocular vision and depth perception to hunt down prey. In contrast, the grass eaters they prey on have eyes set on the sides of their head, giving them a 360 degree field of vision to watch for predators as they graze.

Some carnivores, such as the raccoons and bears, eat a great deal of plant matter - berries, fruit, roots - but are still classed as Carnivores.

The Order Carnivore contains over 260 species which range in size from the Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis) who weighs as little as 25 grams (0.88 oz), to the 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus). They are found on every continent except Antarctica.

The following pages list terrestrialmembers of the Order Carnivore by continent. The sea mammals of the Walrus, Seal and Sea Lion family (Pinnepedia) are not included.

Animals listed with a * in front of their name are found on more than one continent.

• Carnivores of North America
• Carnivores of South America
• Carnivores of Africa
• Carnivores of Eurasia (Europe and Asia)

All information taken from:

Handbook of The Mammals of The World, Vol 1: The Carnivores (2009)

Published by Lynx Edicions in assocation with the World Conservation Union (IUCN)