Palaeanodonta

Palaeanodonta ("ancient toothless animals") is an extinct clade of stem-pangolins.

They were insectivorous (myrmecophagous), possibly fossorial, and lived from the middle Paleocene to early Oligocene in North America, Europe and Asia.

[8][9][5][10] Palaeanodonts generally have low and caudally-broad skulls, with notable lambdoid crests and inflated bullae and squamosals.

[11][3][10] Early palaeanodonts retained minimal tribosphenic post-canines while later species had peglike or otherwise reduced molar crowns.

[11][10] The phylogenetic relationships of order Palaeanodonta are shown in the following cladogram:[3][5][6] Pan-Carnivora Pholidota (sensu stricto) †Escavadodontidae †Melaniella †Amelotabes †Epoicotherium †Molaetherium †Xenocranium †Epoicotheriinae†Tetrapassalus †Dipassalus †Alocodontulum †Auroratherium †Pentapassalus †Tubulodon †Arcticanodon †Propalaeanodontinae †Mylanodon †Brachianodon †Palaeanodon †Metacheiromyinae †Metacheiromys †Ernanodontidae