Small bears
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Raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Procyonidae | ||||||||||||
| Gray , 1825 |
The small bears (Procyonidae) are a mammal family of canine-like predators (Canoidea). There are 14 species in this family , all of which live in the temperate or tropical zones of America . The allocation of the small panda , native to Asia, is taxonomically controversial and is now more of a separate family, Ailuridae .
features
Small bears mediate between the martens and the real bears . They are small to medium-sized mammals with a head body length of 30 to 67 centimeters and a weight of 1 to 12 kilograms. The tail is long and mostly curled in all species. Their fur is brown or gray in color, and some species have striking facial markings. The face is rather short and broad, the ears are small and erect, they can be pointed or rounded. All feet end in five toes with short, curved claws. One species, the wrapped bear , has a prehensile tail.
distribution and habitat
The natural range of the small bears extends from southern Canada to northern Argentina . As a captive refugee, the raccoon is now widespread in Europe (including Germany). Small bears inhabit a number of habitats, but most of them are found in forests.
Way of life
With the exception of coatis , small bears are crepuscular or nocturnal. They usually sleep in tree hollows or crevices in the rock. They are sole walkers who move in a bear-like gait, many species are good at climbing and swimming. They live solitary or in small groups.
Small bears are usually omnivores , but they tend to eat plant-based foods such as fruits and nuts. While wrinkled bears and maci bears are almost pure herbivores, the other species also eat animal foods such as insects, small vertebrates, eggs and much more to a varying extent.
Development history
Small and large bears seem to have had a common ancestor. The oldest small bears are found in fossils from the Oligocene . The fossil genus Bavarictis was native to Europe; from there the small bears migrated early to North America via Asia and the land bridge of today's Bering Strait . They became extinct in the Old World, presumably because of competition from the stealthy cats who occupy the same ecological niches .
The genera
The small bears are divided into six genera and 14 species:
- Makibears ( Bassaricyon ) with 4 species
- Katzenfrette ( Bassariscus ) with 2 species
- Coatis ( Nasua ) with 3 kinds
- Mountain Coati ( Nasuella olivacea )
- Raccoons ( Procyon ) with 3 species
- Wrap Bear ( Potos flavus )
The family relationships are shown in the following cladogram :
| Small bears |
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As mentioned at the beginning, the assignment of the little panda is controversial. Although this is similar in morphology to the small bears, genetic studies show that it is only distantly related to them and is more likely to be in a family of its own, Ailuridae.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 (English).
- Wilson, DE, and DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kristofer M. Helgen , Miguel Pinto, Roland Kays, Lauren Helgen, Mirian Tsuchiya, Aleta Quinn, Don Wilson, Jesus Maldonado: Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito. ZooKeys 324 (2013): Special issue: 1-83. doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.324.5827
