Carnivora

[ kahr-niv-er-uh ]

noun

1. the order of placental mammals comprising the carnivorans and noted for much diversity in habitats, sizes of species, and diets: divided into two suborders, Caniformia (dogs and doglike species) and Feliformia (cats and catlike species).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Carnivora¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from New Latin, Latin carnivora (animālia) “meat-eating (animals),” neuter plural of carnivorus carnivorous

Example Sentences

Despite being part of the meat-eating order Carnivora, pandas typically practice a plant-based diet, eschewing salmon and seal meat at the bear family barbecue for shoots of bamboo.

From New York Times

Cats and dogs belong to a group of mammals known as Carnivora, and the wild ancestors of both species dined primarily on meat.

From Scientific American

Ms. Crane noted the online advertising by Carnivora, a company that sells liquid drops and capsules of the plant extract.

From New York Times

The largest terrestrial species in the order Carnivora are wide-ranging and rarebecause of their positions at the top of food webs.

From Science Magazine

Although the new animal is in the taxonomic order Carnivora — a group of mammals that includes cats and dogs — it is not carnivorous because it does not primarily eat meat.

From Washington Post