1. Bonneville High School Vertebrate Zoology
Carnivores
Bonneville High School
Vertebrate Zoology

2. Family: Mustelidae Weasel Family
North American river otters are the largest members of the family Mustelidae. Their body is long and slender with a thick tail that tapers to a point. The feet are fully webbed and are very strong, the five toes ending in sharp claws. The neck is long and the legs are short. The head is flat and the face is whiskered, with small ears and no hair on the diamond-shaped nose. The fully grown are generally 3-4 ft long and weigh lbs. They stand 10 inches at the shoulder and the males are larger than the females. The tail is inches long. Other species include weasels and ermines.

3. Family Felidae Cat Family
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. The most familiar felid is the domestic cat, which first became associated with humans about 10,000 years ago; but the family includes all other wild cats, including the big cats.
Extant felids belong to one of two subfamilies: Pantherinae (which includes the tiger, the lion, the jaguar, and the leopard), and Felinae (which includes the cougar, the cheetah, the lynxes, the ocelot, and the domestic cat).
The first felids emerged during the Oligocene, about 25 million years ago. In prehistoric times, a third subfamily, known as Machairodontinae, included the "saber-toothed cats", such as the well known Smilodon. Other superficially cat-like mammals, such as the marsupial sabertooth

4. Family: Canidae Dog Family
The Canidae (pron.: /ˈkænɨdiː/) [2] are the biological family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes domestic dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and many other lesser known extant and extinct dog-like mammals. The Canidae family is divided into two tribes: Canini (related to wolves) and Vulpini (related to foxes).

5. Family: Hyaenidae Hyenas and ardwolves
The Hyaenidae family contains four species. Three of these species, the hyenas, hunt and scavenge large vertebrates. The fourth species, the aardwolf, subsists on termites. Members of this family usually have bushy tails, rounded ears, and three of the four species have spots or stripes (the brown hyena is the exception.) The most striking feature in members of this family is the difference between their long front limbs and shorter hind limbs. This gives them a noticeable slope in their stance. The jaws of the three hyena species are massive with strong teeth. The aardwolf has sharp canines and incisors but its back teeth are reduced in size. Members of this family are very adaptable and survive in areas of high human habitation.

6. Family: Procyonidae Raccoon Family
Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora.[1] It includes the raccoons, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, ringtails and cacomistles. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments, and are generally omnivorous.

7. Family: Ursidae Bear Family
The bears include the largest living carnivores—the Grizzly and the Polar bears. Bears have large bodies with short, thick, strong limbs and short tails. They can run well for a short distance, and most can climb trees. Bears are mostly plant-eaters, but do occasionally eat meat. The exception is the Polar bear, which mostly live on seals. All bears go into some form of dormancy during the winter, although not all bears hibernate. Bears are found in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

8. Family: Viverridae Civit Family
Members of this family are medium sized carnivores with long bodies and short legs. Most species in this family have relatively small heads with short pointed ears and a long, pointed muzzle. Most species also have some form of stripes, bands, or spots on their fur. They have retractable claws and most have scent glands that can be used to mark their territory. The scent in some species is so powerful that it can be used to ward off predators. Most species in this family are solitary and nocturnal and survive entirely on meat. A few do eat some fruits as well but this is not the norm. Also, most members of the Viverridae family are arboreal though a few are not. This family is large with several species but very little is known about most of the viverrids.

9. Family Herpestidae Mongoose Family Meerkats
The Mongoose family (Herpestidae) is divided into two subfamilies, Herpestinae and Galidiinae. The members of the Galidiinae family are found only on Madagascar. The rest are widespread in Asia and Southern Europe. They are found in a wide range of habitats and various living conditions. They can be found living in colonies, living alone, living on the ground and living in trees. And some are semi-aquatic. Most Herpestids are predators and rely on their speed and agility for success. Because of their ability to kill poisonous snakes, it was often thought that they were immune to the snake's poison. This is not the case. They are just really fast.