Taeniodonta

Taeniodonta ("banded teeth") is an extinct order of eutherian mammals, that lived in North America and Europe from the late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to middle Eocene.

Taeniodonts evolved quickly into highly specialized digging animals, and varied greatly in size, from rat-sized to species as large as a bear. Later species developed prominent front teeth and huge claws for digging and rooting. Some genera, like Stylinodon, had ever-growing teeth. The scarcity of taeniodont fossils can be explained by the fact that these animals probably lived in dry or arid climates unconductive to fossilization.

According to 2022 studies of Bertrand, O. C. and Sarah L. Shelley, taeniodonts are identified to be a basal placental mammal. Genera Ambilestes, Procerberus and Alveugena are the immediate outgroup to Taeniodonta.

Taxonomy
From Thomas E. Williamson and Stephen L. Brusatte (2013):
 * Order: †Taeniodonta (Cope, 1876)
 * Genus: †Schowalteria (Fox & Naylor, 2003)
 * †Schowalteria clemensi (Fox & Naylor, 2003)
 * Family: †Conoryctidae (Wortman, 1896)
 * Subfamily: †Conoryctinae (Wortman, 1896)
 * Tribe: †Conoryctellini (Schoch, 1982)
 * Genus: †Conoryctella (Gazin, 1939)
 * †Conoryctella dragonensis (Gazin, 1939)
 * †Conoryctella pattersoni (Schoch & Lucas, 1981)
 * Tribe: †Conoryctini (Wortman, 1896)
 * Genus: †Conoryctes (Cope, 1881)
 * †Conoryctes comma (Cope, 1881)
 * Genus: †Huerfanodon (Schoch & Lucas, 1981)
 * †Huerfanodon heilprinianus (Cope, 1882)
 * †Huerfanodon polecatensis (Schoch & Lucas, 1981)
 * †Huerfanodon torrejonius (Schoch & Lucas, 1981)
 * Subfamily: †Eurodontinae (Estavis & Russel, 1992)
 * Genus: †Eurodon (Estavis & Russel, 1992)
 * †Eurodon silveirinhensis (Estavis & Russel, 1992)
 * Family: †Onychodectidae (Winge, 1917)
 * Genus: †Onychodectes (Cope, 1888)
 * †Onychodectes tisonensis (Cope, 1888)
 * †Onychodectes tisonensis rarus (Osborn & Earle, 1895)
 * †Onychodectes tisonensis tisonensis (Cope, 1888)
 * Superfamily: †Stylinodontoidea (Marsh, 1875)
 * Family: †Stylinodontidae (Marsh, 1875)
 * Subfamily: †Stylinodontinae (Marsh, 1875)
 * Tribe: †Ectoganini (Cope, 1876)
 * Genus: †Ectoganus (Cope, 1874)
 * †Ectoganus bighornensis (Schoch, 1981)
 * †Ectoganus copei (Schoch, 1981)
 * †Ectoganus gliriformis (Cope, 1874)
 * †Ectoganus lobdelli (Simpson, 1929)
 * Tribe: †Psittacotheriini (Schoch, 1982)
 * Genus: †Psittacotherium (Cope, 1882)
 * †Psittacotherium multifragum (Cope, 1882)
 * Tribe: †Stylinodontini (Marsh, 1875)
 * Genus: †Stylinodon (Marsh, 1874)
 * †Stylinodon mirus (Marsh, 1874)
 * Subfamily: †Wortmaniinae (Schoch, 1982)
 * Genus: †Wortmania (Hay, 1899)
 * †Wortmania otariidens (Cope 1885)