|
The Hispaniolan solenodon (''Solenodon paradoxus''), also known as the Dominican solenodon, Haitian solenodon or ''agouta'', is a solenodon found only on Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It was first described by Brandt in 1833. A similar but smaller species, Marcano's solenodon (''S. marcanoi''), once lived on the island, but became extinct after European colonization. All solenodon species belong to order Soricomorpha and family Solenodontidae. == Description and behaviour == The Hispaniolan solenodon looks much like an oversized shrew. It weighs . Head-and-body length is and the tail is about 25 cm. It has brownish-red fur on most of its body, with a paler underside. The tail, legs, snout, and eartips are hairless. The forelegs are noticeably more developed than the hind legs, but all have strong claws useful for digging. The head is very big in relation to its body, with a long rostrum and tiny eyes and ears partially hidden by the body fur. A unique feature is the os proboscis, a bone on the tip of the rostrum that supports the snout cartilage. The dental formula for the species is 3/3, 1/1, 3/3, 3/3 = 40. The second lower incisor has a narrow groove (''Solenodon'' derives from the Greek for "grooved tooth"), through which flows a venomous saliva secreted by the submaxillary gland, making the solenodon one of only a handful of venomous mammals. Both sexes are similar. Males have an unexposed penis and the testes are hidden deep within the abdominal cavity. Females have an irregular estrus, apparently unrelated to seasonal changes; they may have two litters of one to three young per year. Usually, only two of the offspring survive, because the female only has two teats, which are found near her buttocks. The young are weaned after 75 days, but may sometimes remain with the parents while subsequent litters are born and raised, so up to eight animals may share the same burrow. Solenodons may fight each other on first meeting, but eventually they establish a dominance relationship and live together in captivity in relative harmony. A Hispaniolan solenodon has glands in the armpits and in the groin, which are said to give off a goat-like smell. It readily defends itself against one of its own kind and is apparently not immune to its own venom, since animals have been seen to die after fighting and sustaining minor wounds. It may also attack other animals savagely: a captive solenodon was reported to have attacked a young chicken and torn it to pieces with its strong claws before eating it. In moments of excitement, it may grunt like a pig or give bird-like cries, but when pursued, it stays motionless and hides its head, making it easy to capture. The Hispaniolan solenodon was unknown to science for so long because it is nocturnal, a consequence of which is its highly developed senses of hearing, smell and touch. Also, they are not very numerous, so their influence in an ecosystem is practically nothing. During daylight hours, they stay in their burrows, trees, hollowed-out logs or caves, remaining hidden from view. When they do come out, they run on their toes with a stiff, ungainly waddle, following an erratic, almost zigzag course. The local people claim solenodons never run in a straight line. When a solenodon is alarmed and tries to move faster, it is very likely to trip. Hispaniolan solenodons eat a wide variety of animals, including arthropods, worms, snails and small reptiles; they may also feed on roots, fruits and foliage, although one study found they refused all forms of vegetation. They probe the earth with their snouts and dig or rip open rotten logs with their claws. Solenodons in captivity have been seen to bathe often and to drink only when bathing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hispaniolan solenodon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|