Question 1)
The order carnivore has a total of ten families three of which are Canidae, Felidae and Procyonidae. Members of these three families have got their distinctive features which are used to distinguish them from each other. Apart from the physical appearance there are other intricate features that one has to be keen enough to notice. The family procyonidae consists of one distinct species and that is the Northern Raccoon. It may be confused to belong to the family canidae because it is the size of a dog but the. But unlike members of the family canidae, the Northern Raccoon has a long but bushy tail which is ringed but for the canidae, the tails are just long and bushy but not ringed. It also has a black distinctive mask around its face. It has five toes on all its limbs whereas the members of the family canidae have five toes on the front limbs and four on the hind limbs. The toes of the members of the Northern Raccoon are adapted to climbing whereas those of the members of the class canidae are adapted to running.
One other family is the felidae. This family encompasses all the cats. Unlike the canidae that have large ears, they have short triangular ears. The canidae are also known for their strong sense of hearing and smell, members of the felidae have an extra very sense which that of sight is. Just like the canidae and not the procyonidae, they have five toes on the front limbs and four on the hind limbs. But the difference is that their toes are retractile and curved while those of the family canidae are not. Whereas canidae roam the earth in broad day light and very freely; members of this family are nocturnal, very secretive but work in solitary groups.
Question 2
There are estimated thirteen species in the family canidae, about their habitat, they are found in all continents except for Antarctica that does not have wild but domesticated canidae. They are typically carnivores too. On the other hand, felidae contains about thirty seven species. They inhabit a very wide range of habitats such as deserts, coastlines, grasslands and mountain. They are predominantly carnivores. Procyonidaes are omnivores and are identifiable by eighteen species. Aside from that, they are known to inhabit the tropical forests.
Question 3
There are animals that have disappeared from the face of the earth. One of these animals is the javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), which is a native of Indonesia. It is believed to have been very common in the island in the 1800s and by then, they were so common that they were considered as pest by the natives. The island started to develop and embraced civilization. Its population dwindled and by the 1950s, only twenty javan tigers were believed to be alive. Loss of habitat due to agricultural development was the main reason why they became so rare and in spite of efforts to conserve the remaining numbers, there was nothing much to do because here was inadequate land to keep them and also there was no proper planning at the time. They are known to having been smaller than the other tiger species. They had longer and thinner stripes which were a bit numerous. They also had a longer and narrow nose and occipital plane.
