Solenodon footage

The BBC website is showing this short footage of one of the world strangest and most elusive mammals. The animal in question is a Hispaniolan solenodon and along with its distinct looks it is one of only two species of mammals that can inject prey with a venomous bite.

Little is known about the creature, which is found in the Caribbean, but it is under threat from deforestation, hunting and introduced species. The mammal was filmed in the summer of 2008 during a month-long expedition to the Dominican Republic - one of only two countries where this nocturnal, insect-eating animal (Solenodon paradoxus) can be found (the other is Haiti).

Dr Richard Young, from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: "My colleagues were excited and thrilled when they found it in the trap. But despite a month's worth of trapping effort, they only ever caught a single individual."

The Hispaniolan solenodon is one of the creatures highlighted by the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) Edge of Existence programme, which focuses its efforts on conservation plans for animals that are both endangered and evolutionarily distinctive. Dr Sam Turvey, a ZSL researcher involved with the programme said

"It is an amazing creature - it is one of the most evolutionary distinct mammals in the world. Along with the other species of solenodon, which is found in Cuba (Solenodon cubanus), it is the only living mammal that can actually inject venom into their prey through specialised teeth. The fossil record shows that some other now-extinct mammal groups also had so-called dental venom delivery systems. So this might have been a more general ancient mammalian characteristic that has been lost in most modern mammals, and is only retained in a couple of very ancient lineages."

The researcher said that the team was surprised to find them; previously it had been feared that the creatures had become extinct in this country because of extensive deforestation, recently introduced mongoose and dogs, and hunting by humans for food. "They are still incredibly vulnerable and fragile. So it is really important to get back out there to work how how these animals are surviving."

This is one of those news items that is guaranteed to fascinate me