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Topic outline

 

  • Time: 10 hours
    Level: Introductory

 
 

Introduction

  • Introduction Resource
  • In this unit, we will examine the biology of the impressive meat eaters (e.g. wolves, lions and cheetahs), focusing in part on the biological ‘equipment’ – slashing and gripping teeth, for example – and...
 

1 The hunters

  • 1 The hunters Resource
  • As you work through this unit you will come across boxes, like this one, which give you advice about the study skills that you will be developing as you progress through the unit. To avoid breaking up...
 

2 The Carnivora

  • 2.1 Introducing the Carnivora Resource
  • Table 1 in this section lists the scientific names of the families of the Carnivora, as well as their common names. You are not expected to recall the family names, though you will probably be able to...
  • 2.2 What are the common features of Carnivora? Resource
  • As LoM and the TV programme reveal, there is great variation in the size and shape of carnivores and also in their lifestyle and behaviour. They have a worldwide distribution – from arctic foxes to equatorial...
 

3 Characteristics of the hunters

  • 3.1 Speed and endurance Resource
  • The first question in this section is a mathematical one, in which you are asked to convert from one set of units to another. If you have been following the advice in previous units in this series, you...
  • 3.2 Other specialisations found in hunters Resource
  • Claws are important for grabbing prey. They must be kept sharp and trees (or chair legs, as domestic cat owners can confirm) are used as scratching posts. In all cats other than the cheetah, the claws...
  • 3.3 Senses: vision Resource
  • Vision needs to be effective to spot prey, and in many species to allow precise calculation of distances when it comes to the final pounce. In terms of success, an individual can't ‘afford’ too many failures;...
  • 3.4 Senses: hearing Resource
  • Hearing involves the capacity not simply to hear sounds of particular frequencies, but also to locate their source.
  • 3.5 Senses: smell Resource
  • Smell is rightly emphasised in LoM as important to carnivores. It offers advantages over visual and sound signals, which may be difficult to detect, for example at night or in dense vegetation. Furthermore,...
 

4 Living in groups

  • 4.1 The advantages Resource
  • On the basis of LoM and the TV programme, and hearing so much about African hunting dogs and lions, you might be tempted to believe that carnivores generally live in groups.
  • 4.2 Aggression Resource
  • What of the possible disadvantages of living in a group? Think back to the type of interactions between individuals within the groups you saw in the TV programme.
 

References and Acknowledgements

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