Solenodontidae
Encyclopedia
Solenodons are venomous, nocturnal, burrowing, insectivorous mammal
s belonging to the family
Solenodontidae. Only one genus
, Solenodon, is known, although a few other genera were erected at one time and are now regarded as junior synonyms. Solenodontidae is interesting to phylogenetics
researchers because of its retention of primitive mammal characteristics; their species resemble very closely those that lived near the end of the age of the dinosaurs. They are one of two families of Caribbean soricomorphs
; it is uncertain whether the other family, Nesophontidae, which went extinct during the Holocene
, was closely related to solenodons.
The two living solenodon species are the Cuban Solenodon
(Solenodon cubanus), and the Haiti
an or Hispaniolan Solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus). Two other species went extinct during the Quaternary
. Oligocene
North America
n genera such as Apternodus have been suggested as relatives of Solenodon, but the origins of the animal remain obscure.
s, and are often compared to them; with extremely elongated cartilaginous snouts, long, naked, scaly tails, small eyes, and coarse, dark brown to black hair. The snout is flexible, and in the Hispaniola Solenodon, actually has a ball-and-socket joint at the base to increase its mobility. This allows the animal to investigate narrow crevices where potential prey may be hiding. Between 28–32 cm (11–12.6 in) long from nose to rump, and weighing between 700–1000 g (24.7–35.3 oz), solenodons are known to become very easily agitated and may squeal or bite with little or no provocation.
Solenodons have a few intriguing traits, two of them being the position of the two teats on the female, almost on the buttocks of the animal, and the second being the venom
ous saliva
that flows from modified salivary glands in the mandible
through grooves on the second lower incisor
s ("solenodon" derives from the Greek "grooved tooth"). Solenodons are among a handful of venomous mammals
.
The diet of solenodons consists largely of insects, earthworm
s, and other invertebrate
s, but they also eat vertebrate carrion
, and perhaps even some living vertebrate prey such as small reptile
s or amphibian
s. Solenodons have a relatively unspecialised, and almost complete dentition, with a dental formula
of: .
Solenodons give birth in a nesting burrow, to one or two young. The young remain with the mother for several months, and initially follow the mother about by hanging onto her elongated teats. Once they reach adulthood, solenodons are solitary animals, who rarely interact except to breed.
Both species became endangered species
because of predation by the Small Asian Mongoose (specifically subspecies Herpestes javanicus auropunctatus), which was introduced in colonial times to hunt snakes and rats, as well as by feral cats and dogs. The Hispaniolan Solenodon is practically extinct, with sightings of specimens or their spoor
occurring rather infrequently. The Cuban Solenodon was thought to have been extinct until a live specimen was found in 2003. Marcano's Solenodon
(Solenodon marcanoi) went extinct in the Holocene
.
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s belonging to the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Solenodontidae. Only one genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Solenodon, is known, although a few other genera were erected at one time and are now regarded as junior synonyms. Solenodontidae is interesting to phylogenetics
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
researchers because of its retention of primitive mammal characteristics; their species resemble very closely those that lived near the end of the age of the dinosaurs. They are one of two families of Caribbean soricomorphs
Soricomorphs of the Caribbean
The Caribbean region is home to two unique families of the mammalian order Soricomorpha, which also includes the shrews and moles. Only one Caribbean family, that of the solenodons, is still extant; the other, Nesophontidae, went extinct within the last few centuries.For the purposes of this...
; it is uncertain whether the other family, Nesophontidae, which went extinct during the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
, was closely related to solenodons.
The two living solenodon species are the Cuban Solenodon
Cuban Solenodon
The Cuban Solenodon or Almiqui , is a species of soricomorph that is endemic to Cuba. It belongs to the family Solenodontidae along with a similar species, the Hispaniolan Solenodon...
(Solenodon cubanus), and the Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an or Hispaniolan Solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus). Two other species went extinct during the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
. Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n genera such as Apternodus have been suggested as relatives of Solenodon, but the origins of the animal remain obscure.
Characteristics
Solenodons resemble very large shrewShrew
A shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
s, and are often compared to them; with extremely elongated cartilaginous snouts, long, naked, scaly tails, small eyes, and coarse, dark brown to black hair. The snout is flexible, and in the Hispaniola Solenodon, actually has a ball-and-socket joint at the base to increase its mobility. This allows the animal to investigate narrow crevices where potential prey may be hiding. Between 28–32 cm (11–12.6 in) long from nose to rump, and weighing between 700–1000 g (24.7–35.3 oz), solenodons are known to become very easily agitated and may squeal or bite with little or no provocation.
Solenodons have a few intriguing traits, two of them being the position of the two teats on the female, almost on the buttocks of the animal, and the second being the venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ous saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
that flows from modified salivary glands in the mandible
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
through grooves on the second lower incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s ("solenodon" derives from the Greek "grooved tooth"). Solenodons are among a handful of venomous mammals
Venomous mammals
Venomous mammals are animals of the class Mammalia that produce venom, which they use to kill or disable prey, or to defend themselves from predators. In modern nature, venomous mammals are quite rare. Venom is much more common among other vertebrates; there are many more species of venomous...
.
The diet of solenodons consists largely of insects, earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s, and other invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, but they also eat vertebrate carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
, and perhaps even some living vertebrate prey such as small reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s or amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s. Solenodons have a relatively unspecialised, and almost complete dentition, with a dental formula
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
of: .
Solenodons give birth in a nesting burrow, to one or two young. The young remain with the mother for several months, and initially follow the mother about by hanging onto her elongated teats. Once they reach adulthood, solenodons are solitary animals, who rarely interact except to breed.
Status
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
because of predation by the Small Asian Mongoose (specifically subspecies Herpestes javanicus auropunctatus), which was introduced in colonial times to hunt snakes and rats, as well as by feral cats and dogs. The Hispaniolan Solenodon is practically extinct, with sightings of specimens or their spoor
Spoor (animal)
Spoor is any sign of a creature. Spoor includes track, trail and droppings. Spoor is useful for discovering or surveying what types of animals live in an area, or in animal tracking.Generally droppings can be referred to as scat....
occurring rather infrequently. The Cuban Solenodon was thought to have been extinct until a live specimen was found in 2003. Marcano's Solenodon
Marcano's Solenodon
Marcano's Solenodon was a species of mammal in the family Solenodontidae. It is known only from skeletal remains found on the island of Hispaniola. The remains were found in association with those from rats of the genus Rattus, which suggests Marcano's Solenodon survived until the time of...
(Solenodon marcanoi) went extinct in the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
.
External links
- The Last Survivors Project http://www.thelastsurvivors.org Updated news on Caribbean Mammals Conservation Project
- Entry at Animal Diversity Web
- EDGE of Existence "(Cuban solenodon)" Saving the World's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species
- EDGE of Existence "(Hispaniolan solenodon)" Saving the World's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species
- BBC News 1 June 2010 The cave of bones: A story of solenodon survival
- BBC News 2 June 2010 Close encounter with a bizarre venomous beast