ORDER CARNIVORA

COMMENTS: Recent studies on family level relationships have agreed in several key areas, among which are: (1) The sister group to the Carnivora is the +Creodonta. (2) The Recent Carnivora are organized into two monophyletic groups; Suborder Feliformia: felids, herpestids, hyaenids and viverrids; and Suborder Caniformia: canids, ursids, mustelids, odobenids, otariids, phocids, and procyonids. (3) The pinnipeds (otariids, odobenids, and phocids) are included within the suborder Caniformia; placing them in a separate Order would make the Carnivora paraphyletic (Flynn et al., 1988; Tedford, 1976; Wozencraft, 1989a; Berta, 1991).