An interesting and extremely rare ancestor of the shrew and mole, the Solenodon is a unique animal that looks somewhat like a rat. The Solenodon only resides in a small promotion of the West Indies specifically Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. It can be found in the dense and humid regions. The Solenodon is an insectivore, as it only focuses on small insects that use its toxic venom to paralyze and kill small prey. It hunts by using its claws to go through the rotten or hollow logs to find its food, as it generally hunts during the night and hides in holes or rock clefts during the day. It is one of the few and rare mammals that actually have a poisonous toxin that is excreted through its lower canines to protect against potential predator. The Solenodon's peculiar characteristic of being venomous is to help against predators as it is generally only a foot long and weighs about 2 pounds. The Solenodon is heavily reliant on its venom for food and protective reasons as a litter size is generally one or two, the young stay with their mother for several months before venturing off into the wild. It is an aesthetically odd looking creature, as it resembles a rat and shrew. It is however considerably larger than both, and has a coat that can range from a lightish brown to black. The entire body of the Solenodon is covered except its feet, nose, tail, and the bare tips of its ears. The oddest feature of these creatures is its elongated nose, otherwise known as a rostrum.
These unique shrew-like creatures are in severe danger. The Solenodon was first discovered by scientists in the 70's, but since then the numbers of these strange animals has been decreasing. As they were originally hunted for food, they are currently faced with dilemmas such as dogs, wild cats, and habitat destruction. The habitat destruction that is occurring in these various regions is detrimental to the survival of these animals, as their food and homes are being constantly shifted and causing large amounts of these Solenodons to disperse in areas where mating is relatively difficult if not nearly impossible. The Solenodon has recently been evaluated and kept on the endangered list, as it is one of the rarest and most interesting mammals that are still alive to present day.
