Cuban solenodon

Common card · No. 442683

The Cuban solenodon (Atopogale cubana), also called the almiquí, is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to mountainous forests on Cuba. It is the only species in the genus Atopogale. An elusive animal, it lives in burrows and is only active at night when it uses its unusual toxic saliva to feed on insects. The solenodons (family Solenodontidae), native to the Caribbean, are one of the few mammals that are venomous. The Cuban solenodon is endangered and was once considered extinct due to its rarity. It and the Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) are the only surviving solenodon species; the others are extinct.

Read on Wikipedia · Image New York Zoological Society (present-day Wildlife Conservation Society), Public domain