Carnivores: Quick ID guide to Africa's predatory mammals, by Chris and Mathilde Stuart.

Carnivores: Quick ID guide to Africa's predatory mammals, by Chris and Mathilde Stuart. Penguin Random House South Africa. Imprint: Struik Nature. Cape Town, South Africa 2022. ISBN 9781775847915 / ISBN 978-1-77-584791-5

Carnivores: Quick ID guide to Africa's predatory mammals, by Chris and Mathilde Stuart. Of all the creatures in the animal kingdom it is probably the carnivores, the eaters of flesh, that have captured the human imagination the most.

Chris Stuart  Tilde Stuart  

From the earliest times, lions, tigers, bears, leopards and an array of other beasts of prey served as royal symbols, representing the power of emperors, kings, chiefs, shamans and the like. Even some of the smaller carnivores became emblems of privilege: in Europe, only royals were allowed to wear the pelts of ermines (small, weasel-like carnivores). The first carnivores arose about 60 million years ago, possibly descended from a group of mammals that are related to the pangolins. What did these ancient animals look like? We can't say for certain, but two basic forms evolved from those early ancestors: the cat-like feliforms, characterised by double-chambered ear bullae (bony capsules around the inner and middle ear), and the dog-like caniforms, which have single-chambered ear bullae. There are about 296 land-based carnivore species worldwide. They range from the least weasel (45g) to the polar bear (up to 700kg). Some 84 species occur in Africa, including 12 members of the dog family, 10 of the cat family, 4 of the hyaena family, 12 mustelids, 27 mongooses, 18 viverrids and 1 palm civet. With such diversity, what defines a carnivore? The main characteristic shared by all carnivores is their teeth. All have four well-developed canines and a distinctive set of carnassial teeth. The canines - two in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw - are adapted for grasping and killing prey, whereas the carnassials - the first molar in the lower jaw and the last premolar in the upper jaw - are designed for slicing through flesh with a scissor-like action. Not all members of the order Carnivora are exclusively meat eaters. Over time, carnivores evolved varied diets. This was accompanied by modifications of the carnassials, which allowed some species to develop omnivorous habits, supplementing their diets with plant foods that they no longer needed to slice. Others, such as the aardwolf, became specialised feeders, licking up soft-bodied termites with their tongues rather than using the tiny pegs that pass for carnassials in this species. Some carnivores, such as lions, African wild dogs and meerkats, are highly social, living in cooperative groups and sharing responsibility for hunting and rearing their young. Others, including leopards, caracals, slender mongooses and genets, are solitary. Still others form lifetime pair bonds, remaining in a territory to raise their young, sometimes with the help of offspring of the previous litter. Such animals include the black-backed jackal, African golden wolf and bat-eared fox. Although this guide is by no means comprehensive, we hope it stimulates an interest in the wide range of carnivores occurring in Africa and provides insight into their diverse and intriguing hunting and feeding behaviours. [...]

This is an excerpt from Carnivores: Quick ID guide to Africa's predatory mammals, by Chris and Mathilde Stuart.

Title: Carnivores
Subtitle: Quick ID guide to Africa's predatory mammals
Author: Chris Stuart; Mathilde Stuart
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Nature
Cape Town, South Africa 2022
ISBN 9781775847915 / ISBN 978-1-77-584791-5
Softcover, 10 x 18 cm, 40 pages, throughout colour photographs