Based on fossils, Bryan Patterson has concluded that early relatives of the aardvark appeared in Africa around the end of the Paleocene.
bˈeɪst ˌɔn fˈɑːsəlz, bɹˈaɪən pˈæɾɚsən hɐz kəŋklˈuːdᵻd ðæt ˈɜːli ɹˈɛlətˌɪvz ʌvðɪ ˈɑːɹdvɑːɹk ɐpˈɪɹd ɪn ˈæfɹɪkə ɚɹˈaʊnd ðɪ ˈɛnd ʌvðə pˌeɪliːoʊsˈiːn.