Plesiorycteropus
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Plesiorycteropus is one of the most bizarre and mysterious mammals known. The species Plesiorycteropus madagascariensis, dubbed the "bibymalagasy", was discovered from skeletal remains in Madagascar. Initially it was thought to be a species of aardvark that found its way to Madagascar millions of years ago. Ross MacPhee studied all known specimens of Plesiorycteropus, and found that, although it showed a number of similarities to aardvarks, other anatomical characters appeared to link it to a range of different mammal groups, including 'ungulates' and 'insectivores'. Given this uncertainty surrounding its evolutionary relationships, in 1994 he published a paper classifying Plesiorycteropus in its own, entirely extinct order of mammals, Bibymalagasia. The bibymalagasy grew to the size of a small dog and possibly fed on ants and termites. Discovered from remains in various regions of Madagascar, its record faded around 1,000 years ago. Around that time, many species of large birds, tortoises, and mammals perished - possibly at the hands of human activity.
