Elephant + manatee ancestors revised in the LRT
Another short one today
as the graphic (Fig 1) tells the story in a series of images modeling evolutionary events in the long history of elephants + manatees beginning on or around the last day of the Cretaceous.
The first few taxa in this lineage were vicious little ‘tree shrews’ (generically speaking).
So were all placental progenitors at this time, including extant late-surviving tree shrews, like Ptilocercus and Tupaia. But back to manatees and elephants…
Figure 1. Recent housekeeping in the mammal subset of the LRT now links the Stylinodon clade to Phospathierium and elephantas + manatees.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ectoganus-stylinodon-elephas72.jpg?w=83″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ectoganus-stylinodon-elephas72.jpg?w=283″ class=”size-full wp-image-86332″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ectoganus-stylinodon-elephas72.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Recent housekeeping in the mammal subset of the LRT now links the Stylinodon clade to Phospathierium and elephantas + manatees.” width=”584″ height=”2112″ />
Figure 1. Recent housekeeping in the mammal subset of the LRT now links the Stylinodon clade to Phospathierium and elephantas + manatees. Copy this image to your desktop and rotate it 90º for the original horizontal format. Here in the LRT Moeritherium is basal to extant manatees.
This novel hypothesis of interrelationships
unites the formerly enigmatic Stylinodon (Fig 1) clade with the equally bulky, tusky elephant and marine manatee clades. Like unrelated rodents (by convergence), here the incisors evolved to become much larger than the disappearing canines.
Note the absence of
Procavia, the extant rock hyrax (Fig 2) in this lineage.This phyogenetic shift breaks a long-held tradition that linked elephants to rock hyraxes.
Now Procavia continues to nest alongside chalicotheres (Fig 3). So the rock hyrax doesn’t move in the LRT. The elephant clade moves into more primitive nodes
Figure 4. The small furry hyrax is in the lineage of the large naked elephant, analogous to small feathery theropods and large naked theropods. The fingers and incisors already show similarities here.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/hyrax-elephant588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/hyrax-elephant588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-33678″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/hyrax-elephant588.jpg” alt=”Figure 4. The small furry hyrax is in the lineage of the large naked elephant, analogous to small feathery theropods and large naked theropods. The fingers and incisors already show similarities.” width=”584″ height=”474″ />
Figure 2. The small furry hyrax is in the lineage of the large naked elephant, analogous to small feathery theropods and large naked theropods. The fingers and incisors already show similarities here.
I’m revisiting taxa I have not looked at for a decade,
seeing them now with more experience, always trying to tease apart homology from convergence, seeking details I overlooked when I first met these taxa.
Figure 1. Moropus elatus is a horse-sized chalicothere from the Miocene.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/moropus_elatus_588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/moropus_elatus_588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-26709″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/moropus_elatus_588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Moropus elatus is a horse-sized chalicothere from the Miocene.” width=”584″ height=”435″ />
Figure 3. Moropus elatus is a horse-sized chalicothere from the Miocene.
Testing just the marsupials in the LRT
recovers two MPTs. That’s getting close to full resolution. Testing the more numerous placentals recovers 18 MPTs. That’s encouraging, but it’s not perfect and I can see convergence disguised as homology. Combining the two taxon lists still recovers many thousand MPTs due to convergence, particularly noticeable between marsupial creodonts and placental carnivores, some sabertoothed, some not.
This is a problem that is getting tackled, but requires even more tackling.
Just as a reminder
trait analysis recovers a tree that more or less models actual evolutionary events in which tiny changes separate closely related taxa at every node. On the other hand gene analysis too often recovers untenable interrelationships in which the changes that separate taxa are wide and impossible to understand. Even so, unchecked results from genomic studies continue to get published. This is the third largest problem facing paleontology.
References
xxx
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2024/06/01/elephant-manatee-ancestors-revised-in-the-lrt/
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Humic & Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex
HerbAnomic’s Humic and Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex is a revolutionary New Humic and Fulvic Acid Complex designed to support your body at the cellular level. Our product has been thoroughly tested by an ISO/IEC Certified Lab for toxins and Heavy metals as well as for trace mineral content. We KNOW we have NO lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum etc. in our Formula. This Humic & Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral complex has high trace levels of naturally occurring Humic and Fulvic Acids as well as high trace levels of Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, Molybdenum, Potassium and more. There is a wide range of up to 70 trace minerals which occur naturally in our Complex at varying levels. We Choose to list the 8 substances which occur in higher trace levels on our supplement panel. We don’t claim a high number of minerals as other Humic and Fulvic Supplements do and leave you to guess which elements you’ll be getting. Order Your Humic Fulvic for Your Family by Clicking on this Link , or the Banner Below.
Our Formula is an exceptional value compared to other Humic Fulvic Minerals because...
It’s OXYGENATED
It Always Tests at 9.5+ pH
Preservative and Chemical Free
Allergen Free
Comes From a Pure, Unpolluted, Organic Source
Is an Excellent Source for Trace Minerals
Is From Whole, Prehisoric Plant Based Origin Material With Ionic Minerals and Constituents
Highly Conductive/Full of Extra Electrons
Is a Full Spectrum Complex
Our Humic and Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex has Minerals, Amino Acids, Poly Electrolytes, Phytochemicals, Polyphenols, Bioflavonoids and Trace Vitamins included with the Humic and Fulvic Acid. Our Source material is high in these constituents, where other manufacturers use inferior materials.
Try Our Humic and Fulvic Liquid Trace Mineral Complex today. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,616,557,406 |
| Stories: | 8,189,419 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
