Caniformia, or
Canoidea (literally "
dog-like"), is a
suborder within the order
Carnivora. They typically possess a long snout and nonretractile claws (in contrast to the cat-like carnivorans, the
Feliformia). The
Pinnipedia (
seals and
sea lions) evolved from caniform ancestors and are accordingly assigned to this group. Most members of this group have nonretractile claws (the
fisher,
marten,
red panda, and
ringtail have retractile or semiretractile claws) and tend to be
plantigrade (with the exception of the
Canidae). Other traits that separate Caniformia from Feliformia is that caniforms have longer
jaws and have more teeth, with less specialized
carnassial teeth. They also tend more towards
omnivorous and opportunistic feeding, while the feliforms are more specialized for eating meat. Caniforms have single-chambered or partially divided
auditory bullae, composed of a single bone, while in feliforms, the auditory bullae are double-chambered, composed of two bones joined by a
septum.