During the July-August, 2018, field survey of the Uganda Palaeontology Expedition, parts of an orycteropodid skull and post-cranial skeleton were found in Early Miocene (ca. 20-18.5 a) volcaniclastic deposits at Napak XIII. Search in the previous collections from the site yielded additional isolated elements of the skeleton including ribs, vertebrae and part of the pelvis. The fossil is extremely interesting in the context of Orycteropodidae evolution, because it is not only the oldest known associated (partial) skeleton of an African “antbear”, but is also the most peculiar in a number of cranial and post-cranial features.

Despite well over two hundred years of scientific research on aardvarks, their higher order systematic and phylogenetic positions remain enigmatic. A description and interpretation of the Napak fossil is provided so that scholars can access evidence that may be of value for phylogenetic, systematic and taxonomic investigations. 

Introduction 7
Biostratigraphy of Fossil Aardvarks 9
Material and Methods 9
Abbreviations of institutions and fossiliferous localities 10
Curatorial Note 10
Vasodentine or Osteodentine? Tubes, Tubules, Columns, Pillars or Cylinders? 11
Hypselodonty and hypselorhizy 11
A review of hypotheses about the affinities and origins of aardvarks 11
Systematic description 24
Taxonomic rank 24
Order Tubulidentata Huxley 1872 24
Family Orycteropodidae Gray 1821 24
Genus Eteketoni nov. 24
Species Eteketoni platycephalus nov. 25
Comparison between Eteketoni platycephalus and Orycteropus minutus Pickford, 1975 55
Comparison between Eteketoni platycephalus and Myorycteropus africanus MacInnes, 1956 58
Comparison between Eteketoni platycephalus and Amphiorycteropus 59
Comparison between Eteketoni platycephalus and Orycteropus 60
Comparison between Eteketoni platycephalus and Leptorycteropus 64
Relationships of Orycteropodidae to Kelba 65
Orycterochoerus alferezi, the Córcoles (Spain) “Aardvark” 65
Body weights of Early Miocene Orycteropodidae 67
Social and archaeological aspects of aardvarks 67
The ankle joint in Afrotheria 67
Aardvarks and Aardtenreks (Geogale aurita) 69
Palaeoecological implications of Eteketoni and other small extinct Aardvarks 69
Dentition and Diet (Insectivory, Geophagy, Frugivory) 70
General discussion on dental morphology 71
Burrowing and feeding 77
Food sources for Aardvarks 78
Vision 80
Biogeography 80
Is Amphiorycteropus a junior synonym of Leptorycteropus? 81
Phylogeny 83
Conclusions 83
Acknowledgements 86
References 87
Annex I The Fossil Record of Tubulidentata 96
Annex II Some early classifications of Orycteropus 97
Annex III-VII 98