Cuban Solenodon

The Cuban Solenodon (Solenodon cubanus), known as the Almiqui in Cuba, is a soricomorph native to Cuba. It belongs to the family Solenodontidae along with a similar species, the Hispaniola Solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus). The solenodon is unusual among mammals in that its saliva is venomous.

Appearance

With small eyes, and dark brown to black hair, it is sometimes compared to a shrew. It most closely resembles members of the family Tenrecidae, of Madagascar. It is 16 to 22 inches (40 to 55 centimeters) long from nose to tail. It resembles a large brown rat with an extremely elongated snout and a long, naked, scaly tail.

Status

While it is not yet extinct, it is still an endangered species. This is in part because it only breeds a single litter of one to three in a year.