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Pyrotheria is an order of extinct meridiungulate . These elephant-like ungulates include the genus Baguatherium, Carolozittelia, Colombitherium, Griphodon, Propyrotherium, Proticia, and Pyrotherium.
They had the appearance of large, digitigrade, tapir-like mammals with relatively short, slender limbs and five-toed feet with broad, flat phalanges. Their fossils are restricted to Paleocene through Oligocene deposits of Brazil, Peru and Argentina.
Some experts place the clade Xenungulata (which contains several genera, including Carodnia) within Pyrotheria, even when dentition, although bilophodont in both orders, is very different. For most scholars, the two orders remain separated. The dentition is complete with strong, procumbent, chisel-shaped incisors, strong sharp-pointed Canine tooth, and low-crowned cheek teeth with bilophodont molars. The affinities of the Xenungulata remain uncertain. Affinities with the Dinocerata are strongly supported by the Dentistry characteristics. Initial study of the structure of the tarsus suggested that the xenungulates had a common ancestry with typical pyrotheres, such as Pyrotherium, but a more recent examination of the tarsus of Pyrotherium failed to support this, instead showing some traits shared by Pyrotherium and the Embrithopoda. it remains to be seen which of these views will turn out to be right. This means that the Pyrotheria could be members of no less than three major cladistic branches of placental mammals: Meridiungulata (if Xenungulata are the closest relatives), Laurasiatheria (if are the closest relatives) and Afrotheria (if Embrithopoda are the closest relatives).
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