Eomanis

Eomanis
Temporal range: 47.8–46.3 Ma
Middle Eocene
Fossil of Eomanis waldi
Life reconstruction of
Eomanis waldi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pholidota
Suborder: Eupholidota
Superfamily: †Eomanoidea
Gaudin, 2009
Family: †Eomanidae
Storch, 2003
Genus: †Eomanis
Storch, 1978
Type species
†Eomanis waldi
Storch, 1978

Eomanis ("dawn pangolin") is the earliest known true (and scaled) pangolin from extinct family Eomanidae (and extinct superfamily Eomanoidea) within suborder Eupholidota. It lived during the Eocene in Europe. Eomanis fossils found in the Messel Pit in Germany are very similar in size and anatomy to living pangolins of the genus Manis, indicating that pangolins have remained largely unchanged in morphology and behavior for 50 million years. However, unlike modern pangolins, its tail and legs did not bear scales.[citation needed] According to the stomach contents of the excellently preserved Messel specimens, Eomanis' diet consisted of both insects and plants.

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic position of genus Eomanis within order Pholidota based on Rose (2026.) study:

outhgroup

 Pholidotamorpha 
 Pholidota 
 Eupholidota 

Manoidea

 †Eomanoidea 
 †Eomanidae 
 †Eomanis 

†Eomanis waldi

 sensu stricto 
 (Pholidota [sensu lato]) 

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gaudin, Timothy (2009). "The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis" (PDF). Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 16 (4). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer Science+Business Media: 235–305. doi:10.1007/s10914-009-9119-9. S2CID 1773698. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  2. ↑ Gerhard Storch (2003) "Fossil Old World "edentates" (Mammalia)." Senckenbergiana biologica 83 (1), pp. 51-60
  3. ↑ Gerhard Storch (1978) "Eomanis waldi, a pangolin from the Middle Eocene of the "Pit Messel" near Darmstadt (Mammalia: Pholidota)." Senckenbergiana lethaea 59 (4/6), pp. 503-529
  4. ↑ Cox, Barry; Savage, R. J. G.; Gardiner, Brian; Dixon, Dougal (1988). "Insectivores and creodonts". Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. Macmillan London Limited. p. 213. ISBN 0-333-48699-4.
  5. ↑ 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. Bibcode:2012JVPal..32..983K. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694319. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 86059673.
  6. ↑ 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.