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Home , Cuban solenodon, Hispaniolan solenodon, Solenodon

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Article by: Linzey, Donald W. Wytheville Community College, Wytheville, Virginia. Publication year: 2014 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.634100 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.634100)

Content

Morphology Status Additional Readings Ecology Bibliography

A rare insectivorous classified in the family Solenodontidae. are among the largest living . There are only two extant . The Hispaniolan, or Haitian, solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) is restricted to the remote, wet, densely vegetated central highland regions on the island of ( and ). The coarse pelage (coat) varies from blackish to reddish brown. Most individuals possess a small, square, whitish area on the nape of the neck. Adults are 28–33 cm (11–13 in.) in body length, with a tail that is 17.5–26 cm (7–10.4 in.) in length, and weigh 600–1000 g (1.3–2.2 lb). The smaller , or almiqui (also almique) [S. cubanus], has longer and finer fur, which is blackish brown with white or buff. It is now restricted to the eastern provinces of . Adults are 20–30 cm (8–12 in.) in body length, with a tail that is 26–30 cm (10.4–12 in.) in length, and weigh 600–700 g (1.3–1.5 lb). Two additional species are known only from skeletal remains in Haiti and Cuba. See also: (/content/insectivora/346300); Mammalia (/content/mammalia/402500)

Morphology

Solenodons resemble in general appearance, except that they are much larger and more stoutly built (see illustration). They have relatively large heads, tiny eyes, and large, partially naked ears. The head tapers to a long, flexible, and mobile proboscis that extends well beyond the lower jaw. A unique ball-and-socket joint attaches the proboscis to the skull in the and provides even greater mobility. The nostrils are located at the sides of the tip of the proboscis. The senses of touch, smell, and hearing are highly developed. The front legs are longer than the hind legs. All limbs possess five toes, with the toes on the forelimbs possessing long, stout, sharp claws. The tail is thick, scaly, and almost hairless. Scent glands in the armpit and the groin produce a fatty, musky, greenish secretion that has a goatlike odor. The mammary glands are located in the inguinal region. The dental formula is I 3/3, C 1/1, Pm 3/3, M 3/3 × 2, for a total of 40 teeth. The second lower incisor has a groove on the lingual side (solenodon means “ with grooved teeth”). The submaxillary salivary glands produce a toxic saliva. The grooves on the second lower incisor act as channels for carrying the . See also: (/content/dentition/186400); Scent gland (/content/scent-gland/605300); Tooth (/content /tooth/700600); Toxin (/content/toxin/702800)

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Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus). (Photo courtesy of Jose Nuñez-Miño, www.thelastsurvivors.org)

Ecology

Solenodons are nocturnal and inhabit forests and brushy edges. Although they are able to climb, solenodons spend most of their time on the ground. They forage and nest in extensive burrow systems that they excavate in deep layers of humus. Adult Cuban solenodons are considered to be solitary, except when a mother is accompanied by her young, but adult Hispaniolan solenodons may live in family groups in caves and natural hollows, with up to eight having been found in the same shelter. Vocalizations consist of chirps, squeaks, clicks, snorts, and grunts. A high-frequency click may function in echolocation. Food consists of a variety of , including millipedes, ground beetles, other insects, insect larvae, , and snails, as well as and small and birds. The front claws are used to expose prey beneath rocks and bark, and in the soil. See also: Echolocation (/content/echolocation/211650)

Much is unknown about the frequency and timing of reproduction in the wild. Mating is believed to be irregular and independent of the seasons. Normally, a single young is born. At birth, young solenodons are naked, except for long vibrissae on the snout and a small amount of fine, transparent body hair. They weigh about 40–55 g (1.4–1.9 oz). The first solid food is consumed at about 13 weeks of age. A young solenodon will remain with its mother for several months. Longevity in the wild is not known. In captivity, a Hispaniolan solenodon has lived for more than 11 years, whereas a Cuban solenodon has survived for 6.5 years.

Status

Both species of solenodons are rare and are listed as highly endangered in the Red Data Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and by the United States Department of the Interior. Their decline is a result of their low reproductive rate, (deforestation), increasing human activity, and by introduced carnivores (dogs, feral cats, and mongooses). Mongooses were introduced to Hispaniola in 1872 for snake control, but they also have killed many other forms of wildlife, including solenodons. Prior to human settlement and the introduction of other carnivores, solenodons were the only natural terrestrial predators on the two islands on which they live. See also: (/content/endangered-species/757435)

Donald W. Linzey

Bibliography

D. W. Macdonald (ed.), The Encyclopedia of , Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K., 2006

2 of 4 4/18/2016 11:05 AM Solenodon - AccessScience from McGraw-Hill Education http://www.accessscience.com/content/solenodon/634100 R. M. Nowak, Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed., The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1999

S. T. Turvey, H. M. R. Meredith, and R. P. Scofield, Continued survival of Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) in Haiti, Oryx, 42:611–614, 2008 DOI: 10.1017/S0030605308001324 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0030605308001324)

J. F. Eisenberg and N. Gonzalez Gotera, Observations on the natural history of Solenodon cubanus, Acta Zool. Fennica, 173:275–277, 1985

J. F. Eisenberg and E. Gould, The behavior of Solenodon paradoxus in captivity with comments on the behavior of other insectivores, Zoologica, 51:49–58, 1966

G. S. Morgan and J. A. Ottenwalder, A new extinct species of Solenodon (Mammalia: Insectivora: Solenodontidae) from the late of Cuba, Ann. Carnegie Mus., 62:151–164, 1993

G. S. Morgan, C. E. Ray, and O. Arredondo, A giant extinct from Cuba (Mammalia: Insectivora: Solenodontidae), Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 93:597–608, 1980

G. S. Morgan and C. A. Woods, and the zoogeography of West Indian mammals, Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 28:167–203, 1986 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1986.tb01753.x (http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1986.tb01753.x)

Additional Readings

T. A. Vaughan, J. M. Ryan, and N. J. Czaplewski, Mammalogy, 5th ed., Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA, 2010

Solenodon cubanus (http://www.animalinfo.org/species/solecuba.htm)

Solenodon paradoxus (http://www.animalinfo.org/species/solepara.htm)

Family Solenodontidae: Solenodons (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Solenodontidae.html)

Hispaniolan Solenodon (http://www.thelastsurvivors.org/the-species/hispaniolan-solenodon)

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