Extremely Rare Venomous Mammal Rediscovered

One of the rarest species of mammals, thought to have gone extinct in the Holocene, a geological epoch that started some 10,000 years ago, was recently discovered in recessed corners of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, although months of trapping efforts only yielded a single individual. One of the most amazing feats of the mole-like creature is the fact that it's among a very small number of mammals in the world to be able to inject venom into its prey, so as to paralyze it.

 

"It is an amazing creature – it is one of the most evolutionary distinct mammals in the world. Along with the other species of solenodon, which is found in Cuba (Solenodon cubanus), it is the only living mammal that can actually inject venom into their prey through specialized teeth,” Zoological Society of London (ZSL) researcher Dr Sam Turvey told the BBC.

 

“The fossil record shows that some other now-extinct mammal groups also had so-called dental venom delivery systems. So this might have been a more general ancient mammalian characteristic that has been lost in most modern mammals, and is only retained in a couple of very ancient lineages," the scientist added.

 

"My colleagues were excited and thrilled when they found it in the trap. But despite a month's worth of trapping effort, they only ever caught a single individual," said Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust representative, Dr Richard Young, who was also involved in the effort to find this highly-endangered mammal, which is now threatened by massive deforestation, habitat loss and unnatural predators, such as the Small Asian Mongoose, which was introduced by colonialists to wipe out other pests.

 

The scientist also added that protective programs are absolutely necessary in order to ensure the survival of this species, but that this may prove to be very difficult, even on short term. "We know little about its ecology, its behavior, its population status, its genetics – and without that knowledge base it is really difficult to design effective conservation," he concluded.

To view rare footage of the the Hispaniolan solenodon, click here.