Superorde 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.

Order MACROSCELIDEA

 


Elephantulus sp., Elephant Shrew, photograph by Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles, California Academy of Sciences

Family Macroscelididae [fig. 11.14]

 Characters

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

 

 

Order PROBOSCIDEA [Figs. 18.1-18.7]

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

Learn more about Proboscideans from

Traits

  1. largest land mammal
  2. upper incisor evergrowing
  3. long proboscis present with nostrils and finger-like projection at tip
  4. graviportal
  5. non-ruminants
  6. matriarchal
  7. musth (p. 302
  8. infrasound (p. 302, 335)

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

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.

elephantind.jpg (60493 bytes)

Elephas maximus-Indian or Asian elephant; Oriental zoogeographic region, 5000 k; click on image to enlarge; ©2000 ZooNet/ Birmingham Zoo

Order SIRENIA [Figs. 18.13-18.17]

Learn more about sirenians from
 
Families
  1. Dugongidae--dugongs
    1. Steller's sea cow
 
  1. Trichechidae--manatees
    1. learn more about manatees from SeaWorld
    2. Save the Manatee
    3. 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

 

Family Procaviidae [Figs. 18.8-18.12]  

Traits

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

 

Order TUBULIDENTATA

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


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

Family Orycteropodidae (fig 14.11)

Traits

  1. Ethiopian
  2. monotypic [Orycteropus afer]
  3. no incisors or canines
  4. cheek teeth homodont, columnar, consisting of vertical hexagonal prisms of dentine  surrounding pulp tubules
  5. an insectivorous ungulate: most massive of termite eaters (pig-sized -- up to 82 kg)
  6. excavate burrows 2-3 m. long
  7. highly developed sense of smell 
  8. 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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