Foxes have 42 teeth inside their narrow muzzles, among them the trademark of the order Carnivora. Their last upper pre-molar and first lower molar are called carnassials, modified with a tall shearing edge for slicing flesh. All 300 or so Carnivorans possess carnassials. Your pet cat has them – in fact they are exceptionally well developed in felids, which are the most meat-specialised of the entire order. Pandas, on the other hand, have flattened carnassials because they are largely vegetarian.
