Module 7 Flashcards
Adaptations to Terrestrial Carnivory
What is the scientific name for the earliest known true cat?
Proailurus lemanensis
What anatomical feature is characteristic of both caniform and feliform carnivores?
Carnassial pair (4th upper premolar and 1st lower molar)
Which extinct genus of carnivorous ‘hoofed’ animals had powerful jaws and crushing teeth?
Andrewsarchus
What was the estimated maximum speed of a cheetah?
113 km/h (70 mph)
Which extinct marsupial resembled a saber-toothed cat?
Thylacosmilus
What was the largest hyena species to have ever lived?
Pachycrocuta brevirostris
Which prehistoric carnivore had features of both cats and dogs?
Tapocyon
What is the common name for Bassariscus astutus?
Ring-tailed cat
Which extinct canid was the largest in the world, comparable to a large bear?
Epicyon haydeni
What adaptation allows some hyenas to consume bones?
Osteophagy (bone-eating ability)
Which extinct bear species was the most common in early North America?
Short-faced bear (Arctodus simus)
Which felid from the Pliocene is believed to have hunted early hominids?
Dinofelis
Which prehistoric animal is considered the ancestor of modern bears?
Ursavus
What extinct species of large predatory mammal lived during the Eocene and had traits similar to both dogs and bears?
Amphicyon (bear dogs)
Which South American carnivore is known for its long legs and fox-like appearance?
Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)