Editing Carnivora (section)

==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 recognizable 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 coloration 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 color 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 colors. 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.