Phylogenetic analysis of 12 protein-coding genes from complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecules of various mammals including a xenarthran representative, the armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), showed that the order Xenarthra (Edentata) is a sister group to the ferungulates (carnivores, perissodactyls, artiodactyls, cetaceans). Morphological and previous molecular analyses have placed the Xenarthra basal to other extant eutherians. The present findings are in striking contrast with that understanding. The results suggest that Xenarthra and ferungulates separated about 86 MYA.
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Árnason et al. (1997) studied this question.
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