Pantodonta: no longer an extinct clade
Recent housekeeping in the LRT
recovered some changes to the pantodont subset of the LRT (Fig 1). These changes indicate the clade Pantodonta is not extinct, as traditionally thought.
Figure 1. Pantodonta subset in the LRT includes elephants, sloths and a number of seemingly odd and primitive hoofed herbivores with five fingers and toes. White boxes highlight three extant taxa. Genomic studies could only test these three. See what genomic studies miss?
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pantodonta588-1.jpg?w=123″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pantodonta588-1.jpg?w=350″ class=”size-full wp-image-92402″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pantodonta588-1.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Pantodonta subset in the LRT includes elephants, sloths and a number of seemingly odd and primitive hoofed herbivores with five fingers and toes. White boxes highlight three extant taxa. Genomic studies could only test these three. See what genomic studies miss?” width=”350″ height=”851″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pantodonta588-1.jpg 350w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pantodonta588-1.jpg?w=62&h=150 62w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pantodonta588-1.jpg?w=123&h=300 123w” sizes=”(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px” />
Figure 1. Pantodonta subset in the LRT includes elephants, sloths and a number of seemingly odd and primitive hoofed herbivores with five fingers and toes. White boxes highlight three extant taxa. Genomic studies could only test these three. See what genomic studies miss?
Recent changes:
1. Astrapotherium and Astraponotus are now pre-elephants close to Numidotherium.
According to Wikipedia – Astrapotheria: “The taxonomy of this order is not clear.”
2. Bemalambda moves closer to Ernanodon and Metacheiromys (Fig 2).
Accoring to Wikipedia – Pantodonta: “The earliest and most primitive pantodonts, Bemalambda…”
3. Kopidodon and Trigonostylops join Alcidedorbignya and Prodinoceras.
4. Cambaytherium and Anthracobune leave hippos and join pre-elephant phenacodonts close to Numidotherium (Fig 3).
According to Wikipedia – Cambaytherium,
“Cambaytherium is considered to be close to the ancestry of Perissodactyla, the odd-toed ungulates.”
Not here (Fig 1).
Figure 2. Bemalambda joints odd Ernanodon and Metacheiromys in the LRT.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ernanodon_skull_dorsal_palate588.jpg?w=144″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ernanodon_skull_dorsal_palate588.jpg?w=493″ class=”size-full wp-image-92393″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ernanodon_skull_dorsal_palate588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Bemalambda joints odd Ernanodon and Metacheiromys in the LRT. ” width=”584″ height=”1214″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ernanodon_skull_dorsal_palate588.jpg?w=584&h=1214 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ernanodon_skull_dorsal_palate588.jpg?w=72&h=150 72w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ernanodon_skull_dorsal_palate588.jpg?w=144&h=300 144w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ernanodon_skull_dorsal_palate588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. Bemalambda joints odd Ernanodon, Alcidedorbignya and Metacheiromys in the LRT. Note the overhanging nasals over the retreating transverse premaxillae.
These results
do not match genomic studies. Genomic studies can not include the fossil taxa that make up the majority of the Pantodonta. Genomic studies do not link elephants and sloths (Fig 1) despite their phylogenetic distance within the Pantodonta.
Figure 3. Astraponotus joins the early elephant, Numidotherium, in the LRT.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/astraponotus-numidotherium.skull3views588.jpg?w=281″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/astraponotus-numidotherium.skull3views588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-92395″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/astraponotus-numidotherium.skull3views588.jpg” alt=”Figure 3. Astraponotus joins the early elephant, Numidotherium, in the LRT.” width=”584″ height=”624″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/astraponotus-numidotherium.skull3views588.jpg?w=584&h=624 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/astraponotus-numidotherium.skull3views588.jpg?w=140&h=150 140w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/astraponotus-numidotherium.skull3views588.jpg?w=281&h=300 281w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/astraponotus-numidotherium.skull3views588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Astraponotus joins the early elephant, Numidotherium, in the LRT. Note the similar lateral profiels but dissimilar teeth and palatal views.
Outgroup(s) to the Pantodonta in the LRT
include members of the basalmost placental1 taxa, including Notharctus, the primate, and Nasua, the coatimundi. Phenacodus (Fig 4) is a basal pantodont in the lineage of elephants (Fig 1), as shown earlier here.
Figure 1. Phenacodus (above and in yellow) conmpared to Elephas (below).
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phenacodus.diagram588.jpg?w=174″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phenacodus.diagram588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-90289″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phenacodus.diagram588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Phenacodus (above and in yellow) conmpared to Elephas (below).” width=”584″ height=”1006″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phenacodus.diagram588.jpg?w=584&h=1006 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phenacodus.diagram588.jpg?w=87&h=150 87w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phenacodus.diagram588.jpg?w=174&h=300 174w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phenacodus.diagram588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 4. Phenacodus (above and in yellow) conmpared to Elephas (below).
Although pantodonts began
with claw-like unguals transformed into hooves, the sloths and Ernanodon (Fig 2) reversed those former hooves into enormous claws.
All pantodont clade members were herbivores.
These changes appear to be novel hypotheses of interrelationships.
If not please provide a citation so I can promote it here.
References
wiki/Astrapotheria
wiki/Bemalambda
wki/Astrapotherium
wiki/Brachycrus
wiki/Astraponotus
wiki/Trigonostylops
wiki/Phenacodus
wiki/Arsinoitherium
wiki/Isectolophus
wiki/Bemalambda
wiki/Pantodonta
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/04/12/pantodonta-no-longer-an-extinct-clade/
