We reviewed an extensive set of literature that described how the global contributions of food and fur from carnivores have been dependent on subsistence, social, cultural, economic, and religious trends that have varied in space and time. In general, humans in temperate regions used small carnivores for fur, whereas humans in tropical regions used species within this group primarily for food. Human use of carnivores was often of secondary importance to the use of large herbivores, although this depended on faunal availability, the difficulty of acquisition, and other factors. During prehistory, archaeological evidence suggests that depending on species, small carnivores were utilized not only as food and fur for garments, but also for religious purposes. The shift to transcontinental trade in fur began with an increasing European presence in North America. High demand for fur during early periods led to unsustainable harvest of several species. Some species were extirpated (e.g. sea mink, Mustela macrodon ), whereas some benefitted substantially as human activities transformed the North American landscape (e.g. striped skunks, Mephitis mephitis , and northern raccoon, Procyon lotor ). In the twenty-first-century international fur trade, the northern raccoon and the American mink, Neovison vison , have been among the most important wild and fur-farmed species, respectively. In rural areas of less-developed countries, viverrids (e.g. common palm civet, Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ) and herpestids (e.g. crab-eating mongoose, Urva [= Herpestes] urva ) often are highly used for the bushmeat trade, although the lack of, or unenforced regulations may result in unsustainable harvests for some species. Regulation of international trade in small carnivores and other wildlife has been implemented in an effort to conserve endangered species, although regulatory efficacy can vary widely. Unfortunately, many species of small carnivores remain relatively unstudied or may be considered pests by some peoples.