Carnivora Lecture Review

Flashcards to review key vocabulary and concepts from the Carnivora lecture.

Carnivora

Order of placental mammals including apex predators.

Carnivoramorpha

Clade of 'carnivoran-like' forms emerged in the Paleocene of North America around 60 million years ago.

Carnivora Crown Group

Encompasses all living carnivorans, appeared around 42 million years ago in the Middle Eocene.

Carnassial Tooth

Specialized tooth common to the Carnivoramorpha, appearing ~50 million years ago.

Creodonts & Mesonychians

Extinct orders that dominated apex predator niches during the Eocene.

Caniformia

Suborder of Carnivora, includes dog-like species.

Feliformia

Suborder of Carnivora, includes cat-like species.

Apex predator

Species which occupies the top trophic position in a community.

Mesopredator

Occupies a trophic position below apex predators; context dependent.

Optimal foraging theory

Organisms maximise their net energy intake over time.

Gray Wolves Diet

Prey from 1-1000 kg, depends on availability and experience.

Double Layer Fur Coat

Thermoregulation Adaptation of Wolves.

Wolf Dentition

Canines puncture and grapple, incisors nip and pull, premolars tear and chew, carnassial teeth shear meat, and molars crush and grind.

Senses: Wolf Smell

Key sense, surface area of wolf noses receptive to smell is 14 times that of our own & up to 100 times more sensitive.

Senses: Wolf Sight

Equal to our own but their night vision is far more developed. Retain a scotopic (low-light) eye design consistent with nocturnal origins

Senses: Wolf Hearing

Allows determination of noises as far as 6 miles away in forested areas & 10 miles in open tundra.