| Resumo: |
Information regarding trends in research on terrestrial species of the order Carnivora can provide an understanding of the degree of knowledge of the order, or lack thereof, as well as help identifying areas on which to focus future research efforts. With the aim of providing information on these trends, this work presents a review of the thematic focuses of studies addressing this order published over the past three decades. Relevant works published in 16 scientific journals were analyzed globally and by continent with respect of topics, species, and families. We found a total of 2117 articles referencing this order, which focused on the families Ursidae, Felidae, Canidae, and Hyaenidae, with a lesser representation of Eupleridae, Herpestidae, and Mephitidae. The highest number of articles per species was found in Europe, and the lowest in Asia and Africa. In the Americas, studies were most frequent on the families Ursidae and Canidae, whereas in Europe, studies concentrated on Mustelidae and Canidae. In Africa, studies of Felidae and Hyaenidae were prevalent, and in Asia, these were Ailuridae and Felidae. The most studied topics were distribution, diet, ecology and natural history, whereas the most studied species were Meles meles, Canis latrans, Vulpes vulpes, Lutra lutra, Pantheraleo, and Canis lupus. Further research is needed, especially on genetics, and taxonomic aspects.
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