--- title: "Insectivores & Ancient Mammals (Afrotheria & Eulipotyphla) | Evolutionary Clade | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "Venomous saliva, tactile star-snouts, and ancient evolutionary lineages of the subterranean and aquatic depths. Explore 14 species in the Insectivores & Ancient Mammals evolutionary lineage." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/icon-512.png" --- # Insectivores & Ancient Mammals (*Afrotheria & Eulipotyphla*) > Venomous saliva, tactile star-snouts, and ancient evolutionary lineages of the subterranean and aquatic depths. This deep evolutionary group spans ancient Afrotherian lineages (elephants, manatees, tenrecs, golden moles) and Eulipotyphlans (hedgehogs, solenodons, moles). Many species sport venomous bites, touch sensors that process sensory data faster than human eyes, and dense keratin quill defense. ## Key Evolutionary Adaptations - Star-nosed moles possess 22 fleshy nasal rays with 25,000 Eimer organs that identify food in 8 milliseconds. - Hispaniolan solenodons deliver disabling venom through grooved second lower incisors. - African elephants communicate over tens of kilometers using infrasonic rumbles felt through sensitive foot pads. ## Member Species (14 Creatures) - [Aardvark](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/aardvark/) (*Orycteropus afer*) - **Superpower**: Spade-like claws that dig with great speed and force - **Musical Match**: Mike Oldfield (Psychedelic Rock & Neo-Psych) - [African Bush Elephant](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/african-elephant/) (*Loxodonta africana*) - **Superpower**: A boneless trunk built from around 150,000 muscle fascicles, and rumbles that travel through the ground as well as the air. - **Musical Match**: Hildur Guðnadóttir (Post-Rock & Cinematic Orchestral) - [Asian Elephant](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/asian-elephant/) (*Elephas maximus*) - **Superpower**: A trunk with about 150,000 muscle units and tendons - **Musical Match**: Peter Frampton (Classic Hard Rock & Southern Blues) - [Dugong](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/dugong/) (*Dugong dugon*) - **Superpower**: Rips up whole seagrass plants with a flexible upper lip - **Musical Match**: Low (Slowcore & Minimal Indie) - [Etruscan Shrew](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/etruscan-shrew/) (*Suncus etruscus*) - **Superpower**: A heart that has beaten up to 1,511 times a minute, the highest rate reported for a warm-blooded animal - **Musical Match**: Nia Archives (Drum & Bass / Spatial Jungle) - [European Hedgehog](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-hedgehog/) (*Erinaceus europaeus*) - **Superpower**: A sheet of muscle across the back, the panniculus carnosus, contracts to curl the body into a ball while the muscles linked to each spine contract too, leaving every spine standing on end. - **Musical Match**: Tiny Moving Parts (Math Rock & Midwest Emo) - [European Mole](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-mole/) (*Talpa europaea*) - **Superpower**: Digs tunnel networks that can run hundreds of metres, with five-clawed front feet turned outward - **Musical Match**: BIG|BRAVE (Sludge Metal & Heavy Drone) - [Golden Mole](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/golden-mole/) (*Eremitalpa granti*) - **Superpower**: A middle-ear malleus denser than any other land mammal's on record, expected to boost the bone conduction it uses to detect seismic vibrations - **Musical Match**: Lee "Scratch" Perry (Classic Dub & Roots Sound) - [Hispaniolan Solenodon](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/hispaniolan-solenodon/) (*Solenodon paradoxus*) - **Superpower**: Likely the largest living venomous land mammal, delivering venom through a grooved second lower incisor; lab tests suggest it lowers blood pressure. - **Musical Match**: Wire (Art Punk & Experimental Post-Punk) - [Lowland Streaked Tenrec](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/lowland-streaked-tenrec/) (*Hemicentetes semispinosus*) - **Superpower**: A stridulation organ of 7 to 16 specialized quills on its back that make high-frequency sound when rubbed together. - **Musical Match**: Battles (Math Rock & Midwest Emo) - [Rock Hyrax](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/rock-hyrax/) (*Procavia capensis*) - **Superpower**: Males sing songs whose syllable order differs between regions of Israel, like dialects. - **Musical Match**: Fatboy Slim (Big Beat & 90s Acid Techno) - [Star-Nosed Mole](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/star-nosed-mole/) (*Condylura cristata*) - **Superpower**: Eimer's organs on twenty-two nasal rays that touch new spots about thirteen times a second, and sniffing underwater with exhaled air bubbles. - **Musical Match**: Covet (Math Rock & Technical Finger-Tapping) - [Sunda Colugo](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/sunda-colugo/) (*Galeopterus variegatus*) - **Superpower**: A furred gliding membrane (patagium) running from neck to fingers, toes and tail, spreading to about 70 cm in a glide - **Musical Match**: Cocteau Twins (Ethereal Wave & Dream Pop) - [West Indian Manatee](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/manatee/) (*Trichechus manatus*) - **Superpower**: Marching molars that are constantly replaced, new teeth forming at the back of the jaw and moving forward about a centimeter a month. - **Musical Match**: Grover Washington, Jr. & Bill Withers (Jazz-Funk, Soul & Lounge Fusion) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/clades/insectivores-allies/#collection", "name": "Insectivores & Ancient Mammals (Afrotheria & Eulipotyphla)", "description": "Venomous saliva, tactile star-snouts, and ancient evolutionary lineages of the subterranean and aquatic depths.", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/clades/insectivores-allies/", "mainEntity": { "@type": "ItemList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Aardvark", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/aardvark/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "African Bush Elephant", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/african-elephant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Asian Elephant", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/asian-elephant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dugong", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/dugong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Etruscan Shrew", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/etruscan-shrew/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "name": "European Hedgehog", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-hedgehog/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "name": "European Mole", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-mole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "name": "Golden Mole", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/golden-mole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "name": "Hispaniolan Solenodon", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/hispaniolan-solenodon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "name": "Lowland Streaked Tenrec", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/lowland-streaked-tenrec/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "name": "Rock Hyrax", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/rock-hyrax/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "name": "Star-Nosed Mole", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/star-nosed-mole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "name": "Sunda Colugo", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/sunda-colugo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "name": "West Indian Manatee", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/manatee/" } ] } } ] } ```