View source for Laurasiatheria

{{Taxobox
| name = Laurasiatheria
| fossil_range = [[Late Cretaceous]] - Recent
| image = Golden crowned fruit bat.jpg
| image_caption = [[Giant golden-crowned flying fox]] (''Acerodon jubatus'')
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
| infraclassis = [[Eutheria]]
| superordo = '''Laurasiatheria'''
| superordo_authority = [[Peter J. Waddell|Waddell]] et al., 1999
| subdivision_ranks = [[Order (biology)|Order]]s
| subdivision = 
*[[Erinaceomorpha]]
*[[Soricomorpha]]
*[[Chiroptera]]
*[[Cetartiodactyla]]
**[[Cetacea]]
**[[Artiodactyla]]
*[[Perissodactyla]]
*[[Ferae]]: 
**[[Pholidota]]
**[[Carnivora]]
}}


'''Laurasiatheria''' is a [[clade]] of rank [[cohort]] or super-order, within the [[Placentalia]] (living) or [[Eutheria]] (Placentals and their extinct ancestors) infraclass of [[mammal]]s, based on DNA sequence analyses and [[Retrotransposon]] [[Retrotransposon Marker|presence/absence data]]. The name comes from the theory that these mammals evolved on the [[supercontinent]] of [[Laurasia]], after it split from [[Gondwana]] when [[Pangaea]] broke up. It is a sister group to [[Euarchontoglires]] ([[Supraprimates]]) and [[Afrotheria]]. It includes the following [[Extant taxon|extant]] orders:

*[[Erinaceomorpha]]: hedgehogs and gymnures 
*[[Soricomorpha]]: moles, shrews, solenodons (cosmopolitan)
*[[Cetartiodactyla]]: cosmopolitan; includes former orders [[Cetacea]] (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and [[Artiodactyla]] (even-toed ungulates, including pigs, hippopotamus, camels, giraffe, deer, antelope, cattle, sheep, goats)
*[[Pegasoferae]]: 
**[[Pholidota]]: pangolins or scaly anteaters (Africa, South Asia)
**[[Chiroptera]]: bats (cosmopolitan)
**[[Carnivora]]: carnivores (cosmopolitan)
**[[Perissodactyla]]: odd-toed ungulates

Within the Laurasiatheria, the Erinaceomorpha appears (surprisingly) to be the most divergent branch. Some studies link the Perissodactyla and Ferae in a clade [[Zooamata]]; others link Perissodactyla and Cetartiodactyla in a clade of true [[ungulate]]s. Neither clade is well supported.

Laurasiatheria is also posited to include several extinct orders and superorders:

* [[Meridiungulata]]
* [[Condylarthra]]
* [[Dinocerata]]
* [[Mesonychia]]
* [[Cimolesta]]
* [[Creodonta]]

{{Laurasiatheria Cladogram}}

==References==
{{Nofootnotes|date=February 2008}}
*William J. Murphy, Eduardo Eizirik, Mark S. Springer et al., ''Resolution of the Early Placental Mammal Radiation Using Bayesian Phylogenetics'',Science, Vol 294, Issue 5550, 2348-2351, 14 December 2001.
*Jan Ole Kriegs, Gennady Churakov, Martin Kiefmann, Ursula Jordan, Juergen Brosius, Juergen Schmitz. (2006) Retroposed Elements as Archives for the Evolutionary History of Placental Mammals. PLoS Biol 4(4): e91.[http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0040091] ([http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-pdf&file=10.1371_journal.pbio.0040091-S.pdf pdf version])
* Kitazoe Y, Kishino H, Waddell PJ, Nakajima N, Okabayashi T, et al (2007) "Robust Time Estimation Reconciles Views of the Antiquity of Placental Mammals."  [http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0000384 PLoS ONE 2(4): e384. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000384]

{{wikispecies|Laurasiatheria}}
[[Category:Mammals]]
[[Category:Animal taxonomy]]

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