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Paenungulata

Paenungulata is a group of remarkable mammals constituting three orders: 1. Elephants (Proboscidea) 2. Seacows (Sirenia 3. Hyraxes (Hyracoidea

All three still exist but the Paenungulata once had two additional orders namely,

4. Embrithopoda 5. Desmostylia

both of these were equally unique as the surviving orders. Embrithopods consist of elephant-sized rhino-lookalikes and desmostylians were odd semi-marine creatures that seem to have mainly fed on kelp.

Of the aforementioned orders hyraxes are the most basal,followed by embrithopods,sirenians and desmostylians,with elephants being the crown group. The latter three represent Thetytheria.

Paenungulata is part of Afrotheria,an assemblage of mainly African mammals of great diversity.The other members of this superorder are afrosoricidans (tenrecs and golden moles),elephant shrews (Macroscelidea) and aardvarks (Tubulidentata). Two mysterious little-known fossil orders both represented by only one genus, the Afredentata (Eurotamandua) and the Bibymalagasia (Plesiorycteropus) could represent two additional afrotherian groups.