Superorder AFROTHERIA

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The Superorder Afrotheria is based on molecular evidence that indicates the relationship of tenrecs, golden moles, elephant shrews, aardvarks, and tethytheres ("Paenungulata" - elephants, sirenians, and hyraxes). Tethytheres and possibly aardvarks had been considered to be ungulates.

Afrotheria
- Order Afrosoricida
  - Family Tenrecidae (tenrecs, otter-shrews) Madagascar, Africa.
  - Family Chrysochloridae (golden moles) Africa .
- Order Macroscelidea (elephant shrews) Africa.
- Order Tubulidentata (aardvark) Africa.
- Order: Hyracoidea (hyraxes, dassies) Africa, Arabia.
- Order: Proboscidea (elephants) Africa, SE Asia.
- Order: Sirenia
  - Family Dugongidae (dugong) East Africa, Red Sea, N Australia.
  - Family Trichechidae (manatees) tropical Atlantic coasts and adjacent rivers.

Order MACROSCELIDEA

Learn more about sengis or elephant shrews from
1. The Elephant-Shrews Galen Rathbun
2. the University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
3. Elephant shrews from Peter Woodall
4. short-eared elephant shrew Lincoln Park Zoo

Black and rufous giant elephant-shrews, or sengis, (Rhynchocyon petersi), Smithsonian National Zoological Park, photographs by William Lukefahr

Family Macroscelididae [fig. 11.14]

Characters

Ethiopian, North Africa
long (especially distally) hind limbs, can move bipedally
snout long, slender, movable at base
large eyes, long ears
generally diurnal
insectivorous
mouse (50 g) to squirrel-sized (200)

Order PROBOSCIDEA [Figs. 18.1-18.7]

Learn more about Proboscideans from

Traits

largest land mammal
upper incisor evergrowing
long proboscis present with nostrils and finger-like projection at tip
graviportal
non-ruminants
matriarchal
musth (p. 302
infrasound (p. 302, 335)

Know how to tell the two species of elephant apart. [Fig. 18.1]

photograph by Rachel Ratcliff, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

	Loxodontia africana, the African elephant; Ethiopian zoogeographic region; up to 6000 kg; photograph by Rachel Ratcliff, taken in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Evidence for two species of African elephants published in Nature. More from National Geographic.
	Elephas maximus-Indian or Asian elephant; Oriental zoogeographic region, 5000 k; click on image to enlarge; Š2000 ZooNet/ Birmingham Zoo

Order SIRENIA [Figs. 18.13-18.17]

Learn more about sirenians from

the University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web or

the University of California Museum of Paleontology

a fossil 4-legged sea cow from Jamaica

Families

Dugongidae--dugongs

Steller's sea cow

read the sad fate of Steller's Sea Cow at Meghan's Save the Manatee Page

Trichechidae--manatees

learn more about manatees from SeaWorld

Save the Manatee

Manatee Surfacing to Breathe. Reid, Jim P. Source: WO-439-12 Publisher: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Image Library;

Order HYRACOIDEA

L earn more about hyraxes (conies) from

the University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web or
the University of California Museum of Paleontology
Procavia capensis, Cape Hyrax, photographed at the US National Zoological Park by Will Lukefahr. Used with permission.

Family Procaviidae [Figs. 18.8-18.12]

Traits

Ethiopian, North Africa and Middle East
medium-sized (marmot-like, rabbit sized)
soles of feet with elastic pads for climbing trees or rocks
1. arboreal hyraxes [Dendrohyrax]
2. terrestrial hyraxes [Procavia, Heterohyrax]
rodent-like incisors
mesaxonic feet (like perissodactyls)
many structural features in common with proboscideans

Order TUBULIDENTATA

Learn more about aardvarks (Afrikaans for "earth-pig") from

the University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web

Orycteropus afer Aardvark, photograph by Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles, California Academy of Sciences.

Family Orycteropodidae (fig 14.11)

Traits

Ethiopian
monotypic [Orycteropus afer]
no incisors or canines
cheek teeth homodont, columnar, consisting of vertical hexagonal prisms of dentine surrounding pulp tubules
an insectivorous ungulate: most massive of termite eaters (pig-sized -- up to 82 kg)
excavate burrows 2-3 m. long
highly developed sense of smell
During dry months, dig up fleshy fruits of a cucurbit plant for water. May be a symbiotic relationship. Aardvarks disseminate the seeds

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the University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web or the University of California Museum of Paleontology a fossil 4-legged sea cow from Jamaica
Families Dugongidae--dugongs Steller's sea cow read the sad fate of Steller's Sea Cow at Meghan's Save the Manatee Page
Trichechidae--manatees learn more about manatees from SeaWorld Save the Manatee Manatee Surfacing to Breathe. Reid, Jim P. Source: WO-439-12 Publisher: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Image Library;