Solenodon: venomous mammal in the process of extinction.
In Greek, solenodon means "grooved tooth". He has been given this name because he has grooves in his teeth through which he injects venom, just like a snake: the only mammal in the world able to do that. But this is not the most surprising thing about a creature that many people might mistake for a big rat. No ! The fact is that the solenodon, 76 million years ago, diverged from all other mammals.
The solenodon is a placental mammal fairly close to the hedgehogs, it is part of the insectivores and the family of Solenodontidae. This family of Solenodontidae should not be confused with that of Macroscelidea, which now belong to the superorder of Afrothériens.
Specificities of solenodon
It is able to emit ultrasound (31 kHz for a few milliseconds) to locate itself, and it has hollow incisors (the word "solenodon" comes from the Greek and means "grooved tooth") that allow him to inject a formidable venom .
This family includes only one genus Solenodon and three species:
-Solenodon cubanus (from Cuba) only southeast of the island;
-Solenodon marcanoi (Marcano);
-Solenodon paradoxus (paradoxical almiqui).
-Solenodon is one of the few mammals to be venomous. The gland containing the venom is above the front teeth. Note that shrews have saliva that contains venom but have no independent venomous glands or hollow incisors for inoculation (see below).
How to recognize a solenodon?
Solenodons measure between 70-80 centimeters. Their weight can vary between 700 g and 1 kg maximum. They have a long, bare, scaly tail, small eyes, and coarse hair ranging from dark brown to black. Their muzzle is reinforced by a bone, the proboscidian bone. They live in forests and bushy areas.
The position of the two teats in the female is very behind the animal. The female usually has 2 young, who stay a long time at the nest, several months, which is very particular for insectivores. It is an animal whose reproductive rate is quite low.
Nocturnal, solitary and terrestrial, they feed mainly on insects and spiders by digging the soil of the dense and humid forest with their muzzle and paws. They kill their prey by injection of venom. They have a good sense of smell but also good touch and good hearing, but the view is not very good.
They are prey to mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus), introduced to hunt for snakes and rats and other predators such as cats (also introduced by humans .
awesome animal I never heared about it.; thanks for sharing this information with us dear brother.
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thank you very much dear brother for your support and your advice :)
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