Rare venomous 'giant shrew' caught on camera for first time

One of the world’s rarest mammals, that looks like a giant shrew and has a venomous bite - the Hispaniolan solenodon - has been filmed for the first time in the Dominican Republic. Like an enormous rat, with a long thin snout, the Hispaniolan solenodon is the last of an ancient lineage of species stretching back to the age of dinosaurs. It is one of the few mammals that have survived in t More..he Caribbean islands since the arrival of humans and is now under threat from deforestation, introduced species like dogs, climate change and development. In an effort to find out more about the solenodon, scientists from the Gerald Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust tracked mammals on the Dominican Republic for four weeks last summer. However despite a huge effort, only one specimen was trapped. The animal was filmed being handled by a member of the expedition wearing gloves. DNA samples were taken and important information on behaviour noted before it was released back into the wild. The mammal has a number of distinctive characteristics because of its unique evolutionary process. For example it has specialised teeth capable of delivering venom that is found in only a few other very ancient species. It is not yet known whether the "dental venom delivery systems" are for self defence or to immobilise prey. Professor John Fa, director of conservation science at the Durrell Trust, said the study of the animal is extremely important because of their long unique evolutionary history. Also because they are among a handful of survivors of over 100 mammal species that have gone extinct in the West Indies since the arrival of humans. The nocturnal insect-eating mammal is only found today in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He said: "There is currently very little information known about this endangered animal, so we are trying to build up a picture of how the solenodon lives, breeds and the threats it faces, in order to support the local NGOs and Government. ...

Channel: LiveLeak Video Length: 0s Date Found: Wed, Jul 28 2010 5:56 AM Category: Educational Date Produced: Mon, Jan 12 2009 12:00 AM View Count: 0