A group of living things
Carnivorans
Carnivora
One family with a cat side and a dog side.
Its members' last common ancestor lived about 55 million years ago.
You and carnivorans last shared an ancestor about 95 million years ago (on 23 December, if life's history were one year).
Every cat and dog belongs to one big family that is split into a cat side and a dog side. That split brings surprises. Hyenas look like dogs but sit on the cat side with cats, mongooses and civets. Seals, sea lions and the walrus mostly swim in the sea. They sit on the dog side with dogs, bears and weasels.
They vary in size more than almost any other group of mammals. The smallest least weasels are only about 11 centimetres long, not counting the tail, and about 25 grams, lighter than a tennis ball. The largest male southern elephant seals can reach about 6 metres long and more than 4,000 kilograms, heavier than two small cars.
Wild members live on most major landmasses and in all oceans, from Arctic ice to forests, grasslands, deserts and the open sea. Despite the meat-eating name, not all eat mostly meat. The giant panda lives almost only on bamboo, and the aardwolf lives almost only on termites.
A family of their own
The red panda is the only living member of its own family. It is probably closest to skunks, raccoons and weasels, not to bears or the giant panda.
The island hunter
The fossa of Madagascar looks like a mix of cat, monkey and weasel but is closely related to mongooses and civets. It is Madagascar's largest carnivoran.
Warm without blubber
Sea otters have no blubber and keep warm with waterproof fur of more than one million hairs per square inch. They feed on sea urchins, clams and lobsters.