Carnivora

Carnivora is an order of placental mammals specialised primarily in eating flesh, whose members are formally referred to as carnivorans. The order Carnivora is the sixth largest order of mammals, comprising at least 293 species. Carnivorans are found on every major landmass and in a variety of habitats, ranging from the cold polar regions of Earth to the hyper-arid region of the Sahara Desert and the open seas. Carnivorans exhibit a wide array of body plans, varying greatly in size and shape.

Carnivora

Nrg800 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
carnivoranPBDB
Sits inside
CarnivoraformesPBDB
Diet
carnivore, omnivorePBDB
Life habit
ground dwellingPBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB, for Osteichthyes
Environment
terrestrialPBDB, for Eutheria

Time the record covers

At least 63 million years on record.

The record covers at least 63.4 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 66 Mya to 0 Mya.

Late Cretaceous — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesPaleocene — about 6 of 12000 occurrencesPaleoceneEocene — about 259 of 12000 occurrencesEoceneOligocene — about 736 of 12000 occurrencesOligoceneMiocene — about 4196 of 12000 occurrencesMiocenePliocene — about 1411 of 12000 occurrencesPleistocene — about 4415 of 12000 occurrences67–65 Mya — about 0.7 occurrences65–63 Mya — about 2 occurrences63–61 Mya — about 2 occurrences61–58 Mya — about 1 occurrence58–56 Mya — about 0.5 occurrences56–54 Mya — about 4 occurrences54–52 Mya — about 4 occurrences52–49 Mya — about 3 occurrences49–47 Mya — about 2 occurrences47–45 Mya — about 5 occurrences45–43 Mya — about 7 occurrences43–40 Mya — about 7 occurrences40–38 Mya — about 18 occurrences38–36 Mya — about 84 occurrences36–34 Mya — about 154 occurrences34–31 Mya — about 237 occurrences31–29 Mya — about 127 occurrences29–27 Mya — about 121 occurrences27–25 Mya — about 134 occurrences25–22 Mya — about 143 occurrences22–20 Mya — about 194 occurrences20–18 Mya — about 314 occurrences18–16 Mya — about 576 occurrences16–13 Mya — about 641 occurrences13–11 Mya — about 703 occurrences11–9.0 Mya — about 658 occurrences9.0–6.7 Mya — about 646 occurrences6.7–4.5 Mya — about 762 occurrences4.5–2.2 Mya — about 1393 occurrences2.2–0 Mya — about 5058 occurrences63.4 Mya11.7 ka67 Mya0 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Carnivora on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 657 formations

Ash Hollow — 42.60°N, 98.00°WAsh Hollow — 42.80°N, 100.80°WAsh Hollow — 42.70°N, 100.00°WAsh Hollow — 42.39°N, 98.10°WAsh Hollow — 40.50°N, 100.50°WAsh Hollow — 43.20°N, 100.70°WAsh Hollow — 43.30°N, 102.50°WAsh Hollow — 41.20°N, 101.80°WAsh Hollow — 41.70°N, 103.10°WAsh Hollow — 41.50°N, 103.80°WAsh Hollow — 41.30°N, 101.89°WAsh Hollow — 43.40°N, 100.60°WAsh Hollow — 42.80°N, 99.70°WAsh Hollow — 41.40°N, 102.40°WAsh Hollow — 42.30°N, 98.00°WAsh Hollow — 41.10°N, 103.00°WAsh Hollow — 42.63°N, 100.05°WAsh Hollow — 42.70°N, 102.50°WAsh Hollow — 41.30°N, 105.10°WAsh Hollow — 41.20°N, 98.80°WAsh Hollow — 42.68°N, 102.68°WValentine — 42.70°N, 100.00°WValentine — 42.49°N, 98.11°WValentine — 42.80°N, 100.80°WValentine — 42.60°N, 98.00°WValentine — 42.80°N, 99.70°WValentine — 42.81°N, 100.05°WValentine — 42.70°N, 102.50°WValentine — 40.02°N, 98.53°WValentine — 42.78°N, 100.03°WValentine — 40.10°N, 98.50°WValentine — 43.20°N, 99.80°WValentine — 43.30°N, 100.65°WBrule — 42.90°N, 105.20°WBrule — 42.80°N, 103.10°WBrule — 43.30°N, 102.50°WBrule — 42.40°N, 103.80°WBrule — 40.80°N, 103.10°WBrule — 43.90°N, 102.40°WBrule — 46.90°N, 102.80°WBrule — 42.00°N, 104.20°WBrule — 43.00°N, 104.23°WBrule — 42.83°N, 104.25°WBrule — 41.80°N, 103.80°WBrule — 43.85°N, 102.50°WBrule — 43.60°N, 102.45°WBrule — 43.50°N, 101.90°WBrule — 46.40°N, 103.30°WBrule — 41.70°N, 103.10°WBrule — 43.20°N, 103.20°WBrule — 41.50°N, 103.80°WBrule — 41.66°N, 103.72°WBrule — 43.80°N, 103.10°WBrule — 42.68°N, 103.40°WBrule — 43.57°N, 100.75°WBrule — 43.75°N, 101.94°WGlenns Ferry — 43.60°N, 116.80°WGlenns Ferry — 43.00°N, 115.70°WGlenns Ferry — 42.80°N, 114.90°WGlenns Ferry — 43.00°N, 118.00°WVogel River Series — 3.20°S, 35.21°EVogel River Series — 3.01°S, 35.20°EVogel River Series — 3.25°S, 35.20°EVogel River Series — 3.13°S, 35.13°ERunningwater — 42.80°N, 103.10°WRunningwater — 42.75°N, 102.02°WRunningwater — 42.20°N, 103.10°WRunningwater — 41.70°N, 103.10°WRunningwater — 42.40°N, 103.80°WRunningwater — 42.70°N, 102.50°WRunningwater — 42.49°N, 102.96°WRunningwater — 42.37°N, 103.32°WRunningwater — 42.80°N, 100.80°WRunningwater — 42.35°N, 103.53°WRunningwater — 42.56°N, 103.04°WRunningwater — 42.70°N, 102.72°WVarswater — 32.98°S, 18.15°EVarswater — 33.00°S, 18.00°EVarswater — 33.67°S, 18.43°EBarstow — 34.80°N, 117.00°WBarstow — 35.05°N, 117.07°WBarstow — 35.07°N, 117.08°WOlcott — 42.40°N, 103.80°WOlcott — 42.19°N, 103.73°WOlcott — 42.03°N, 102.75°WOlcott — 42.08°N, 103.80°WJohn Day — 44.67°N, 119.63°WJohn Day — 44.60°N, 119.62°WJohn Day — 44.20°N, 120.50°WJohn Day — 44.67°N, 119.65°WJohn Day — 44.90°N, 120.20°WJohn Day — 44.50°N, 119.30°WJohn Day — 44.83°N, 119.74°WJohn Day — 44.83°N, 119.76°WJohn Day — 44.78°N, 119.58°WJohn Day — 44.33°N, 119.57°WJohn Day — 44.85°N, 121.27°WJohn Day — 45.08°N, 119.87°WSwartkrans — 26.02°S, 27.72°ESharps — 43.30°N, 102.50°WSharps — 43.50°N, 101.90°WPalm Spring — 32.90°N, 117.10°WMarsland — 42.40°N, 103.80°WMarsland — 42.42°N, 103.87°WMarsland — 43.00°N, 104.50°WMarsland — 42.10°N, 105.00°WMarsland — 42.00°N, 104.20°WMarsland — 42.62°N, 104.40°WMarsland — 42.20°N, 103.10°WKoobi Fora — 3.98°N, 36.32°EKoobi Fora — 4.07°N, 36.37°EKoobi Fora — 4.18°N, 36.42°EKoobi Fora — 4.24°N, 36.26°EKoobi Fora — 3.59°N, 36.24°EKoobi Fora — 3.90°N, 36.24°EKoobi Fora — 3.87°N, 36.37°EKoobi Fora — 3.92°N, 36.45°EKoobi Fora — 3.75°N, 36.36°EKoobi Fora — 4.31°N, 36.28°EKoobi Fora — 4.31°N, 36.22°EKoobi Fora — 3.94°N, 36.25°EKoobi Fora — 4.08°N, 36.35°EChadron — 43.60°N, 102.45°WChadron — 43.30°N, 102.50°WChadron — 42.40°N, 103.80°WChadron — 42.80°N, 103.10°WChadron — 42.80°N, 103.40°WChadron — 43.00°N, 104.50°WChadron — 42.90°N, 105.20°WChadron — 45.47°N, 112.62°WChadron — 46.10°N, 103.30°WChadron — 42.00°N, 104.20°WChadron — 43.65°N, 102.82°WPeace River — 27.90°N, 81.80°WPeace River — 27.70°N, 81.85°WPeace River — 27.00°N, 82.20°WPeace River — 27.50°N, 82.50°WPeace River — 27.68°N, 81.95°WPeace River — 27.76°N, 81.83°WPeace River — 27.81°N, 81.91°WMonterey — 33.77°N, 118.34°WMonterey — 33.60°N, 117.80°WMonterey — 33.60°N, 117.70°WMonterey — 34.60°N, 120.44°WMonterey — 33.60°N, 117.33°WMonterey — 33.78°N, 118.39°WMonterey — 33.64°N, 117.63°WWhite River — 43.20°N, 107.10°WWhite River — 43.20°N, 108.20°WWhite River — 40.80°N, 103.10°WWhite River — 43.00°N, 104.50°WWhite River — 40.10°N, 102.20°WWhite River — 42.00°N, 104.20°WWhite River — 40.97°N, 106.22°WCalvert — 38.40°N, 76.50°WCalvert — 39.20°N, 75.60°WCalvert — 38.60°N, 76.51°WCalvert — 37.53°N, 77.42°WCalvert — 37.93°N, 77.51°WCalvert — 37.67°N, 77.16°WCalvert — 38.53°N, 76.52°WCalvert — 38.17°N, 76.87°WCalvert — 37.66°N, 77.11°WCalvert — 38.67°N, 76.53°WCalvert — 38.17°N, 76.85°WCalvert — 38.38°N, 76.99°WCalvert — 37.77°N, 77.28°WOgallala — 35.70°N, 102.30°WOgallala — 36.80°N, 100.50°WOgallala — 36.10°N, 99.80°WOgallala — 39.80°N, 99.40°WOgallala — 36.70°N, 101.40°WOgallala — 38.90°N, 101.70°WOgallala — 35.40°N, 101.40°WOgallala — 37.20°N, 99.90°WOgallala — 39.08°N, 99.75°WOgallala — 40.05°N, 100.90°WOgallala — 35.68°N, 99.60°WOgallala — 39.67°N, 100.85°WOgallala — 39.95°N, 99.53°WOgallala — 35.85°N, 99.83°WOgallala — 35.77°N, 99.66°WOgallala — 35.54°N, 99.86°WTesuque — 36.50°N, 107.00°WTesuque — 35.50°N, 106.20°WHsanda Gol — 45.25°N, 101.62°EHsanda Gol — 45.30°N, 101.62°EHsanda Gol — 45.27°N, 101.77°EHsanda Gol — 45.30°N, 101.65°EHsanda Gol — 45.46°N, 101.20°EHsanda Gol — 45.39°N, 101.24°EHsanda Gol — 45.40°N, 101.27°EHsanda Gol — 45.45°N, 101.37°EHsanda Gol — 45.30°N, 102.08°EHarrison — 43.30°N, 102.50°WHarrison — 42.00°N, 104.20°WHarrison — 42.40°N, 103.80°WHarrison — 43.00°N, 104.50°W

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Carnivora has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 633 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 6,727 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

1,395 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 954 sites for Carnivora, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 2,169 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 2,157 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Carnivora

Credit
Nrg800
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

CT scan

Licence
In Copyright
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record
Specimen
Carnivora sp. · AMNH:FM:145754

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itCarnivoraformes through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Bowdich 1821)