The Insectivora order is a now obsolete order of placental mammals that classified species according to their diet of insects. It was a catch-all group, and many of the species included in it actually show significant evolutionary divergence with a common ancestor going back to the origin of the placentals: it is said to be a polyphyletic group. Often the morphological similarities of these animals were acquired by evolutionary convergence rather than by transmission from a common ancestor. In other words, these animals have developed shared anatomical features as a result of their shared lifestyles. Today, molecular classification has split the group of insectivores into five distinct orders: Eulipotyphla, Afrosoricida, Macroscelididae, Scandentia, and Dermoptera.