The Carnassial Pair as a Synapomorphy
of Feliform &
Caniform Carnivora
The Carnassial Pair as a Synapomorphy
of Feliform &
Caniform Carnivora
The diagram shows the P4/m1 carnassial pair (formed from the 4th upper premolar and the 1st lower molar) is a shared derived character of all modern carnivores, including Cats and Dogs. Other Eutherian insectivores (such as shrews) and marsupials (such as kangaroos) retain the ancestral, unspecialized form of the molariform teeth.