. Natural history. Zoology. 62 MAMMALIA—ORDER IV.—CARNIVORA. Tie Aard-Wolf. —Family remarkable dentition. The canines are minute, and like the iirst three premolars, whicl are widely separated from one another, and the molars are but little different from the premolars. Indeed, the whole dentition is strikingly like that of an Insectivore, and there can be little doubt that this highly modified mungoose subsists entirely or chiefly on insects. A peculiar hysena-like animal from Africa, known to the Dutch as the aard- wolf, and scientifically as Proteins cristatns, is regarded as re
. Natural history. Zoology. 62 MAMMALIA—ORDER IV.—CARNIVORA. Tie Aard-Wolf. —Family remarkable dentition. The canines are minute, and like the iirst three premolars, whicl are widely separated from one another, and the molars are but little different from the premolars. Indeed, the whole dentition is strikingly like that of an Insectivore, and there can be little doubt that this highly modified mungoose subsists entirely or chiefly on insects. A peculiar hysena-like animal from Africa, known to the Dutch as the aard- wolf, and scientifically as Proteins cristatns, is regarded as representing a family by itself, distinguished by having the auditory bulla of the skull divided by a septum into two chambers, and by the small and degraded characters of the cheek-teeth, among which there is but a single pair of molars in each jaw. In the fore-feet there are five toes, but in the hinder pair the number is reduced to four ; their claws being strong, blunt, and non- retractile. In appearance, the aard- wolf is curiously like a small striped hyjena, with a more pointed muzzle, longer ears, and a thick mane of elon- gated erectile hair along the neck and back. Common in South Africa, this animal has also been recorded from Angola and Somaliland. It feeds on carrion, grubs, and white ants. From the two preceding families the hyasnas, of which all the three existing species may be included in the single genus Hycnia, differ by the absence of any internal partition in the auditory bulla of the skull. In the living species there is only one pair of molar teeth in each jaw, the upper one being small, and placed on the inner side of the carnassial. The latter tooth resembles the upper carnassial of the cats in having three distinct lobes to the blade ; and the lower cai-nassial has a bi-lobed blade and a very small All the teeth are very strong and powerful ; the anterior premolars being in the form of blunt cones ; and the skull, in which the sockets of the eyes a
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