The Afrotheria is a group of mammals, (a superorder or a clade). It includes the golden moles, elephant shrews, tenrecs, aardvarks, hyraxes, elephants and manatees.
Biologists made this group based on DNA sequence analysis. Afrotheria are one of four major groups in the Eutheria (placental mammals). Afrotheria means "African animals", "afro" for Africa and "theria" for animals.
More recent genomics suggests that Afrotheria and Xenarthra are sister taxa at the base of the placental mammal radiation.
Relations between the various afrotherian orders are still being studied. Elephants and manatees seem to be related, and likewise elephant shrews and aardvarks. These findings are compatible with the work of earlier anatomists.
Organization
Afrotheria is a clade of placental mammals. Afrotheria †Ocepeia: (basal) †Hyopsodontidae: (possible member of stem group) Clade Afroinsectiphilia Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews (Africa) Order Afrosoricida: tenrecs and golden moles (Africa) Order Tubulidentata: aardvark (Africa south of the Sahara) Order †Bibymalagasia: (probable member) Order †Ptolemaiida: poorly understood carnivorous mammals (extinct). Order †Afredentata: Pangolin (probable member) Clade Paenungulata Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes or dassies (Africa, Arabia) Order Proboscidea: elephants (Africa, Southeast Asia) Order Sirenia: dugong and manatees (cosmopolitan tropical) Order †Desmostylia Order †Embrithopoda