// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Palaeanodonta say? "I'm paws-itive I'm extinct.

Palaeanodonta; Temporal range: 62.4–30.9 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Da. S T Ypr. Lut. B Pr. Rup. Ch. Middle Paleocene – Early Oligocene
	From top to bottom: Escavadodon zygus, Ernanodon antelios, Metacheiromys marshi and Xenocranium pileorivale
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Mirorder:	Ferae
Clade:	Pholidotamorpha
Order:	†Palaeanodonta; Matthew, 1918
Families and genera
	[see classification]
Synonyms
	list of synonyms: Ernodonta (Ding, 1987) ; Ernanodonta (Ding, 1987) ; Palaeanodontidae (Carroll, 1988) ; Palaeanodontiformes (Kinman, 1994) ; Palaenodonta (Rose, 2008) ; Palaenodontina (Pearse, 1936) ;

Palaeanodonta ("ancient toothless animals") is an extinct order of placental mammals in the clade Pholidotamorpha. They were insectivorous (myrmecophagous), fossorial or semifossorial, and lived from the middle Paleocene to early Oligocene in North America, Europe and Asia.^[5]^[7]^[8] While the taxonomic grouping of Palaeanodonta has been debated,^[9] it is widely thought that they are a sister group to pangolins.^[10]^[11]^[7]^[12]

Anatomy

Skull

Palaeanodonts generally have low and caudally-broad skulls, with notable lambdoid crests and inflated bullae and squamosals.^[5]

Teeth

Despite the name of the group and contrary to their pangolin relatives, palaeanodonts are known to have had teeth.^[13]^[5]^[12] Early palaeanodonts retained minimal tribosphenic post-canines while later species had peglike or otherwise reduced molar crowns.^[13]^[5]^[12] Many also had large, characteristic cuspids.^[13]^[12]

Classification and phylogeny

Former classification:	Current classification:
Order: †Palaeanodonta (Matthew, 1918) (stem-pangolins) Family: †Epoicotheriidae ^{(paraphyletic family)} (Simpson, 1927) Family: †Escavadodontidae (Rose & Lucas, 2000) Family: †Metacheiromyidae (Wortman, 1903) Incertae sedis: Genus: †Arcticanodon (Rose, 2004) Genus: †Melaniella (Fox, 1984)	Order: †Palaeanodonta (Matthew, 1918) (stem-pangolins) Family: †Epoicotheriidae ^{(paraphyletic family)} (Simpson, 1927) Genus: †Alocodontulum (Rose, 1978) †Alocodontulum atopum (Rose, 1977) Genus: †Amelotabes (Rose, 1978) †Amelotabes simpsoni (Rose, 1978) Genus: †Auroratherium (Tong & Wang, 1997) †Auroratherium sinense (Tong & Wang, 1997) Genus: †Dipassalus (Rose, 1991) †Dipassalus oryctes (Rose, 1991) Genus: †Myrmecoboides (Gidley, 1915) †Myrmecoboides arenarius (Secord, 2008) †Myrmecoboides montanensis (Gidley, 1915) Genus: †Tubulodon (Jepsen, 1932) †Tubulodon taylori (Jepsen, 1932) Subfamily: †Epoicotheriinae ^{(paraphyletic subfamily)} (Simpson, 1927) Genus: †Pentapassalus (Gazin, 1952) †Pentapassalus pearcei (Gazin, 1952) †Pentapassalus woodi (Guthrie, 1967) Genus: †Tetrapassalus (Simpson, 1959) †Tetrapassalus mckennai (Simpson, 1959) †Tetrapassalus proius (West, 1973) †Tetrapassalus sp. A [AMNH 10215] (Rose, 1978) †Tetrapassalus sp. B (Robinson, 1963) (unranked): †Epoicotherium/Xenocranium clade Genus: †Epoicotherium (Simpson, 1927) †Epoicotherium unicum (Douglass, 1905) Genus: †Molaetherium (Storch & Rummel, 1999) †Molaetherium heissigi (Storch & Rummel, 1999) Genus: †Xenocranium (Colbert, 1942) †Xenocranium pileorivale (Colbert, 1942) Family: †Ernanodontidae (Ting, 1979) Genus: †Asiabradypus (Nessov, 1987) †Asiabradypus incompositus (Nessov, 1987) Genus: †Ernanodon (Ting, 1979) †Ernanodon antelios (Ting, 1979) Family: †Escavadodontidae (Rose & Lucas, 2000) Genus: †Escavadodon (Rose & Lucas, 2000) †Escavadodon zygus (Rose & Lucas, 2000) Family: †Metacheiromyidae ^{(paraphyletic family)^[8]} (Wortman, 1903) Genus: †Brachianodon (Gunnell & Gingerich, 1993) †Brachianodon westorum (Gunnell & Gingerich, 1993) Genus: †Mylanodon (Secord, 2002) †Mylanodon rosei (Secord, 2002) Subfamily: †Metacheiromyinae ^{(paraphyletic subfamily)^[8]} (Wortman, 1903) Genus: †Metacheiromys (Wortman, 1903) †Metacheiromys dasypus (Osborn, 1904) †Metacheiromys marshi (Wortman, 1903) Genus: †Palaeanodon (Matthew, 1918) †Palaeanodon ignavus (Matthew, 1918) †Palaeanodon nievelti (Gingerich, 1989) †Palaeanodon parvulus (Matthew, 1918) †Palaeanodon sp. [Le Quesnoy] (Gheerbrant, 2005) Subfamily: †Propalaeanodontinae (Schoch, 1984) Genus: †Propalaeanodon (Rose, 1979) †Palaeanodon parvulus (Rose, 1979) Incertae sedis: Genus: †Arcticanodon (Rose, 2004) †Arcticanodon dawsonae (Rose, 2004) Genus: †Melaniella (Fox, 1984) †Melaniella timosa (Fox, 1984)

Phylogeny

Cladogram of phylogeny within order Palaeanodonta

Based on Rose (2000.) study:^[13]

Based on Rose (2005.) study:^[11]

Based on Rose (2008.) study:^[5]

Scandentia

Tupaiidae	Tupaia

†Leptictida	†Leptictidae

Erinaceomorpha

†Pantolesta

†Pantolestidae

Pholidota

†Palaeanodonta

†Escavadodontidae	†Escavadodon

	other Palaeanodonta

sensu lato

†Ernanodonta

†Ernanodontidae

†Pantolesta

†Pantolestidae

Pholidota

†Escavadodontidae

†Epoicotheriidae

	†Metacheiromyidae

?	†Afredentata

	Pholidota

sensu lato

†Palaeanodonta

†Pantolesta

†Pantolestidae

†Palaeanodonta

†Escavadodontidae	†Escavadodon

†Amelotabes

	†Epoicotherium

	†Xenocranium

†Tetrapassalus

†Dipassalus

†Alocodontulum

†Pentapassalus

†Tubulodon

?

†Arcticanodon

†Metacheiromyidae

†Propalaeanodon

†Mylanodon

†Brachianodon

	†Metacheiromys

	†Palaeanodon

†Epoicotheriidae

Based on Kondrashov & Agadjanian (2012.) study:^[8]

Based on Hooker (2013.) study:^[14]

Based on Rose (2026.) study:^[15]

Eulipotyphla	Erinaceus

Carnivora

Nandinia

Pholidotamorpha

Pholidota (sensu stricto)

†Palaeanodonta

†Palaeanodon

	†Metacheiromys

†Ernanodontidae	†Ernanodon

(Pholidota [sensu lato])

†Metacheiromyidae

outhgroup

†Pantolesta

†Palaeanodonta

†Escavadodon

†Myrmecoboides

	†Alocodontulum

	†Amelotabes

outhgroup

Pholidotamorpha

Pholidota (sensu stricto)

†Euromanis

†Afredentata

†Palaeanodonta

†Metacheiromyidae

	†Metacheiromys

	†Palaeanodon

(Pholidota [sensu lato])

References

↑ W. D. Matthew (1918.) "A revision of the Lower Eocene Wasatch and Wind River faunas. Part V. Insectivora (Continued), Glires, Edentata." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 38(16):429-483
↑ S.-Y. Ding (1987). "A Paleocene edentate from the Nanxiong Basin, Guangdong". Palaeontologia Sinica. 173: 1–118.
↑ Carroll, Robert L. (1988). Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution (PDF). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. pp. 1–698. ISBN 978-0-7167-1822-2.
↑ Kenneth E. Kinman (1994.) "The Kinman system: toward a stable cladisto-eclectic classification of organisms: living and extinct, 48 phyla, 269 classes, 1,719 orders"
1 2 3 4 5 6 Rose, K. D. (2008). "9. Palaeanodonta and Pholidota". In Janis, C. M.; Gunnell, G. F.; Uhen, M. D. (eds.). Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 135–146. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511541438.010.
↑ Arthur Sperry Pearse (1936.) "Zoological names. A list of phyla, classes, and orders, prepared for section F, American Association for the Advancement of Science" American Association for the Advancement of Science
1 2 Gaudin, T. J.; Emry, R. J.; Wible, J. R. (2009). "The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 16: 235. doi:10.1007/s10914-009-9119-9.
1 2 3 4 Kondrashov, Peter; Agadjanian, Alexandre K. (2012). "A nearly complete skeleton of Ernanodon (Mammalia, Palaeanodonta) from Mongolia: morphofunctional analysis". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (5): 983–1001. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694319. ISSN 0272-4634.
↑ Averianov, A. O. & Lopatin, A. V. (2014.) "High-level systematics of placental mammals: Current status of the problem." Biology Bulletin, 41(9), 801–816.
↑ McKenna, M. C.; Bell, S. K. (1997). Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. pp. 220–221. ISBN 978-0-231-52853-5.
1 2 Rose, K. D.; Emry, R. J.; Gaudin, T. J.; Storch, G. (2005). "Xenarthra and Pholidota". In Rose, K. D.; Archibald, J. D. (eds.). The Rise of Placental Mammals. Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 106–126. ISBN 978-0-8018-8022-3.
1 2 3 4 Ungar, P. S. (2010). "Cenozoic Mammal Evolution". Mammal Teeth: Origin, Evolution, and Diversity. pp. 110–126. ISBN 978-0-8018-9668-2.
1 2 3 4 Rose, K. D.; Lucas, S. G. (2000). "An early Paleocene palaeanodont (Mammalia, ?Pholidota) from New Mexico, and the origin of Palaeanodonta". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (1): 139–156. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0139:AEPPMP]2.0.CO;2.
↑ Jerry J. Hooker (2013). "Origin and evolution of the Pseudorhyncocyonidae, a European Paleogene family of insectivorous placental mammals". Palaeontology. 56 (4): 807–835. Bibcode:2013Palgy..56..807H. doi:10.1111/pala.12018.
↑ Rose, K. D.; Rabenstein, R.; Habersetzer, J.; Gaudin, T. J. (2026). "Anatomy of Eurotamandua joresi (Mammalia) from Grube Messel, Germany, based on computed tomography, and implications for its relationships. Part I: Background and forelimb". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. doi:10.1007/s12549-025-00686-x.

[1] W. D. Matthew (1918.) "A revision of the Lower Eocene Wasatch and Wind River faunas. Part V. Insectivora (Continued), Glires, Edentata." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 38(16):429-483

[2] S.-Y. Ding (1987). "A Paleocene edentate from the Nanxiong Basin, Guangdong". Palaeontologia Sinica. 173: 1–118.

[3] Carroll, Robert L. (1988). Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution (PDF). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. pp. 1–698. ISBN 978-0-7167-1822-2.

[4] Kenneth E. Kinman (1994.) "The Kinman system: toward a stable cladisto-eclectic classification of organisms: living and extinct, 48 phyla, 269 classes, 1,719 orders"

[rose2008-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rose, K. D. (2008). "9. Palaeanodonta and Pholidota". In Janis, C. M.; Gunnell, G. F.; Uhen, M. D. (eds.). Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 135–146. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511541438.010.

[6] Arthur Sperry Pearse (1936.) "Zoological names. A list of phyla, classes, and orders, prepared for section F, American Association for the Advancement of Science" American Association for the Advancement of Science

[gaudin2009-7] 1 2 Gaudin, T. J.; Emry, R. J.; Wible, J. R. (2009). "The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 16: 235. doi:10.1007/s10914-009-9119-9.

[KondrashovAgadjanian2012-8] 1 2 3 4 Kondrashov, Peter; Agadjanian, Alexandre K. (2012). "A nearly complete skeleton of Ernanodon (Mammalia, Palaeanodonta) from Mongolia: morphofunctional analysis". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (5): 983–1001. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694319. ISSN 0272-4634.

[9] Averianov, A. O. & Lopatin, A. V. (2014.) "High-level systematics of placental mammals: Current status of the problem." Biology Bulletin, 41(9), 801–816.

[mckenna1997-10] McKenna, M. C.; Bell, S. K. (1997). Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. pp. 220–221. ISBN 978-0-231-52853-5.

[rose2005-11] 1 2 Rose, K. D.; Emry, R. J.; Gaudin, T. J.; Storch, G. (2005). "Xenarthra and Pholidota". In Rose, K. D.; Archibald, J. D. (eds.). The Rise of Placental Mammals. Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 106–126. ISBN 978-0-8018-8022-3.

[ungar2010-12] 1 2 3 4 Ungar, P. S. (2010). "Cenozoic Mammal Evolution". Mammal Teeth: Origin, Evolution, and Diversity. pp. 110–126. ISBN 978-0-8018-9668-2.

[rose1999-13] 1 2 3 4 Rose, K. D.; Lucas, S. G. (2000). "An early Paleocene palaeanodont (Mammalia, ?Pholidota) from New Mexico, and the origin of Palaeanodonta". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (1): 139–156. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0139:AEPPMP]2.0.CO;2.

[HookerPalaeontology564-14] Jerry J. Hooker (2013). "Origin and evolution of the Pseudorhyncocyonidae, a European Paleogene family of insectivorous placental mammals". Palaeontology. 56 (4): 807–835. Bibcode:2013Palgy..56..807H. doi:10.1111/pala.12018.

[Rose2026-15] Rose, K. D.; Rabenstein, R.; Habersetzer, J.; Gaudin, T. J. (2026). "Anatomy of Eurotamandua joresi (Mammalia) from Grube Messel, Germany, based on computed tomography, and implications for its relationships. Part I: Background and forelimb". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. doi:10.1007/s12549-025-00686-x.

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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Palaeanodonta say? "I'm paws-itive I'm extinct.

Anatomy

Skull

Teeth

Classification and phylogeny

Phylogeny

See also

References