Rare Venomous Mammal Filmed 233
Smivs writes "The BBC are reporting that footage of one of the world's most strange and elusive mammals has been captured by scientists.
Large, and with a long, thin snout, the Hispaniolan solenodon resembles an overgrown shrew. It can inject passing prey with a venom-loaded bite.
Dr Sam Turvey, a ZSL (Zoological Society of London) researcher involved with the program, told BBC News: '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 specialized teeth.
Little is known about the creature, which is found in the Caribbean, but it is under threat from deforestation, hunting and introduced species.
Researchers say conservation efforts are now needed.
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).
The researchers from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Ornithological Society of Hispaniola were able to take measurements and DNA from the creature before it was released."
Wow (Score:5, Funny)
What will slashdot be without Cowboy Neal?
Re:Wow (Score:5, Funny)
The BBC are reporting that footage of one of the world's most strange and elusive mammals has been captured by scientists.
A Slashdot member with a girlfriend?
Re:more like in-laws (Score:2, Funny)
Sounds more like the his mother-in-law
Re:Wow (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Wow (Score:4, Funny)
Mythical?
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That makes you a "candidate for further research"
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If a Slashdot member with a girlfriend is rare, what does that make me? I'm a Slashdot member with a wife and two sons.
You're clearly schizophrenic. Get help.
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Obviously, you missed the joke. I have a wife and a daughter as well, but I thought it was funny.
Re:Wow (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
The mammal was filmed in the summer of 2008 during a month-long expedition to the Dominican Republic â" one of only two countries where this nocturnal, insect-eating animal (Solenodon paradoxus) can be found (the other is Haiti).
I'd be a little perplexed if Haiti didn't have the animal in it, IT SHARES THE SAME GOD DAMN ISLAND with the Dominican Republic.
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd be a little perplexed if Haiti didn't have the animal in it, IT SHARES THE SAME GOD DAMN ISLAND with the Dominican Republic.
Yeah, but if they had said it was native to Hispaniola most of us Americans wouldn't have a clue what they were talking about ;)
Mammals are different (Score:3, Funny)
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>>I'd be a little perplexed if Haiti didn't have the animal in it, IT SHARES THE SAME GOD DAMN ISLAND with the Dominican Republic.
Despite sharing the same GOD DAMN ISLAND, economic and environmental conditions are extremely different.
Re:Wow (Score:5, Funny)
Despite sharing the same GOD DAMN ISLAND, economic and environmental conditions are extremely different.
Good point. These critters wouldn't want to stay if they couldn't get a decent job.
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd be a little perplexed if Haiti didn't have the animal in it, IT SHARES THE SAME GOD DAMN ISLAND with the Dominican Republic.
Well, I wouldn't be surprised if it were completely extinct in Haiti but hanging on in the Dominican Republic, considering the stark difference in the condition of the native forests [nasa.gov].
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And if I were that ugly, I'd *welcome* extinction!!
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This is slashdot - that little animal is considered quite a looker!
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Well, yeah, I did have that thought.. but I'm an *aging* geek, and over time I've developed higher standards. Gotta be pretty as a hedgehog at the very least.
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Hmm. I was under the impression that a hedgehog was a one-way trip (which probably explains why they're so much pricier than gerbils). Of course, I imagine how well the trip, uh, comes out depends on which way it starts...
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True... in fact I'm wondering if there's an uglier mammal anywhere!
[looking around]
I meant *outside* of slashdot, you insensitive clods!!
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
Can it even kill us? I couldn't find any information about how dangerous the venom was. Even if a bite could kill a human, that wouldn't make these creatures more dangerous that many types of insects, spiders, and snakes, and these poor critters are extremely rare and both variants of solenodons live on islands.
Anyway, you can kill people too and you as an individual are (obviously) not needed in the food chain, nor is your family. If I were you I'd hope others hold life in a higher regard than you do.
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyway, you can kill people too and you as an individual are (obviously) not needed in the food chain, nor is your family. If I were you I'd hope others hold life in a higher regard than you do.
While I'm not in favor of wanton destruction of animal life, and conservation is a goal we should strive toward, but your analogy is specious. A human life is superior to an animal's life.
And if you disagree, you best think twice before you swat a fly, eat a hamburger, or enjoy produce or goods that were harvested, in part, by the forced labor of animals.
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> A human life is superior to an animal's life.
Fair enough, but is a single human life superior to a complete species of mammals? I can't say I'd care much if tritonman killed a solenodon. But let's go WAAAAAY offtopic and consider a hypothetical situation wherin he is able and willing to destroy ALL solenodon and the only way to stop him is to kill him (he is standing next to his custom built solenodon doomsday device and about to press 'on', you have a chance to take him out with your sniper rifle)? Wh
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Fair enough, but is a single human life superior to a complete species of mammals?
The answer is still that the human life is superior to the animal (or animals, as the case may be). The question as to whether we need to stop mass killing is still phrased in terms of human impact. I would say we need to stop someone from killing all cows, but not because I feel empathy for the cows that would die but b/c their mass slaughter would gravely impact humans around the world.
And I'd encourage the authorities to stop the mass extinctor by means that do not lead to his death.
I'm not pro-killing a
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A human life is superior to an animal's life.
Why?
Depends who you ask. I content we are because we are capable of intelligent thought and self-awareness. Douglas Hofstadter would tell you it's because we have a larger "soul" than animals (see this interview [forum2.org]). More religious folk might tell you it's because God created us in his image and made the animals for our service.
It would be hard for one who has the moral conviction that human life is not superior to animal life to live a morally consistent life. How could they justify eating meat, that would be tan
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
Let me start out by saying that I'm playing devil's advocate here. I wear leather and love a good steak.
Depends who you ask. I content we are because we are capable of intelligent thought and self-awareness.
Dolphins, elephants, and other animals have demonstrated the same. While it may be at a lower level, it may not be that far off in OUR evolutionary history, either. Do they count?
More religious folk might tell you it's because God created us in his image and made the animals for our service.
If you read those biblical passages closely, you might notice that we were called to have dominion [bibledatabase.net] over the animal kingdom. Can't have dominion over something if you've hunted it into nonexistance.
It would be hard for one who has the moral conviction that human life is not superior to animal life to live a morally consistent life. How could they justify eating meat, that would be tantamount to eating a fellow human's flesh.
While it may not be superior, it wouldn't be inferior, either. I'd point at Native Americans for a good example of respect for nature, while not starving.
Just another point of view to ponder...
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I wouldn't be so worried about eating another human's flesh. I would rather eat a non-human's flesh, but, cherishing the nutrition providing by the body of one of my brethren is still laudable (see Stranger in a Strange Land). If an animal was hungry and ate me, I wouldn't be particularly upset. I would think, "This really sucks, there are still things I wanted to do in my life," but I would *not* think, "This is despicable! This is a lower life form DESECRATING a holy man created in God's own image!"
I'
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How about: human life is not superior to animal life, but my life is superior to all other life? Perfectly morally consistent. Not admirable, but consistent.
That is even harder to live a morally consistent life by, unless you're an utter sociopath. If human life is not superior to animal life (except for yours) then you should feel the same emotions when you eat a human vs. eat a cow, you would feel the same level of remorse when striking a raccoon with your car as you would running over a toddler.
Re: Can it even kill us? (Score:2, Informative)
A bite to the hand will hurt and make your arm grow twice its size for a week not much more. The teeth themselves are large enough to inflict serious damage though. The animal was a bit clumsy and quite nice until we started handling it.
BBQ! (Score:3, Funny)
Can it even kill us?
Who cares? I'm pretty sure we can kill it; the only important question here is how do they taste?
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Do we really need to conserve a species that can kill us and obviously isn't needed in the food chain?
No, I like humans.
Only Venom-Injecting Mammal? (Score:5, Funny)
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I kind of feel sorry for these scientists. I'm guessing these scientists are not familiar with the dating scene?
'It is an amazing creature â" it is one of the most evolutionary distinct mammals in the world.' .... it is the only living mammal that can actually inject venom into their prey...
Yep, in the movie 'Species' when they are explaining to Madson why the alien is a female... he replies "you don't get out much, do you?"
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You dated a platypus?
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Obviously they never met my ex-girlfriend...
If your girlfriend was the one injecting stuff then you should have started a website to cash in ;)
snipe hunting (Score:5, Funny)
God help us ... (Score:2)
.. if it ever figures out how to get a Yelp account.
Rare Venomous Mammal (Score:2)
Rare Venomous Mammal
Is it a Klingon who keeps the venom in a sac on the side of his jaw, and goes after amphibian women?
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Hell, the episode directly before that one was terrible, IMO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_the_Beholder_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation) [wikipedia.org]
And just about any episode with Troi's mother, but here's my least favorite even among those: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_Living_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation) [wikipedia.org]
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Gotta disagree here. I've never seen any other character that was able to steamroll over Picard, Worf, Riker, Deanna Troi, AND Q with the ease that Lwaxana did. That was half the fun!
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As bad as those were, TNG Genesis [wikipedia.org] is worse because it's factually stupid.
We don't know about Klingon emotional development, or about whether psychics can absorb energy from warp engines, since none of that stuff exists.
But anyone with even a vague understanding of cladistics knows that Barclay has NO genetic material for the distinctive features of a spider. (See this video on cladistics [youtube.com].)
The episode contained evolutionary rubbish of the worst kind. If "humans could de-evolve into spider-things" is
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Another venemous mammal (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, do we really need to resort to these petty ad hominem attacks when referring to Ann Coulter?
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Wrong animal. You're thinking of the 'Thin, and with a long, large snout' creature, which spews venom somewhat randomly. I say somewhat, because she probably hasn't read this thread yet. Ann Coulter a /.'r? *shudder*
How appropriate that my captcha for this post is 'danger'...
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she probably hasn't read this thread yet. Ann Coulter a /.'r? *shudder*
As strange as that would be, it's even stranger [wikipedia.org] that she used to attend Grateful Dead [anncoulter.com] concerts, and still considers herself a fan.
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Hey, do we really need to resort to these petty ad hominem attacks when referring to Ann Coulter?
Ad feminem you pedantic, insensitive clod!
Check out the Adam's apple on Coulter.... (Score:2)
and then tell us if "feminem" is still appropriate...
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Hey, do we really need to resort to these petty ad hominem attacks when referring to shrews?
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Large, and with a long, thin snout, the Hispaniolan solenodon resembles an overgrown shrew.
Hey, do we really need to resort to these petty ad hominem attacks when referring to Ann Coulter?
Not in the least. She may be venomous but she's not a mammal.
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This can't properly refer to Coulter; One of the defining characteristics of mammals is that they are warm blooded.
I told you all!!! (Score:2, Funny)
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Actually, I think it's really a chupacabra.
Cue the ex-wife jokes in... (Score:2)
The sequel (Score:3, Funny)
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Solenodons On a Plane! Hmmm, doesn't have quite the same ring.
Meh, just get Samuel L. Jackson to yell it and the rest of the film will work itself out.
Of course, it's endangered (Score:3, Insightful)
They have no clue how many of these things there are, (other than there is more than one but fewer than enough to pave the whole island), but if course they're automatically "endangered" or "under threat" or whatever.
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They have no clue how many of these things there are, (other than there is more than one but fewer than enough to pave the whole island), but if course they're automatically "endangered" or "under threat" or whatever
Hispaniola is not a very large island in terms of area. Considering this critter doesn't seem to be running through the cities, and the cities are expanding, it doesn't seem to be a very large leap to declare it endangered.
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NB - I watched a documentary on HD Theater the other day that showed a six inch praying mantises attacking a 10 inch corn snake and doing some serious 'much-a-hole-in-your-side' damage to it before the mantis lost its grip. Also, it showed n African variety snatch up a mouse and eat it, as well as a variety that
doubtful transition (Score:2)
I bet it'll do fine eating sewer rats and other city gunk.
The article mentions that this critter subsists on a diet of insects. It would be a rather significant step to go from eating invertebrates to eating other mammals.
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I suggested cockroaches would probably do nicely for it
Have you ever tried to catch a cockroach? They have survived for hundreds of millions of years because they can avoid predators like almost nothing else. Granted, maybe this mammal is better than most, but I would be surprised if it was indeed capable of eating enough cockroaches to sustain itself.
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Doesn't sound like it discriminate
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Yeah, that was the first thing that caught my eye. In one sentence they're basically saying "we know next to nothing about these things, and have only managed to capture one" and then a couple sentences later they're telling us that not only are these creatures endangered, but we know exactly why.
Right.
In other news, I've figured out why alien abductions are on the decrease: clearly our excessive CO2 output is impacting the ability of space-aliens to exist in our atmosphere. I'd provide evidence, but I d
Origin of Species? (Score:2)
Nerdy Animals (Score:4, Interesting)
"Solenodon paradoxus collects food by digging extensive tunnel systems under the ground, then foraging for insects and other invertebrates from the surrounding soil.
Foods eaten include: millipedes (Iulides), ground beetles (Carabidae), various orthopteran insects (Gryllidae, Tettigoniidae, Blattidae), earthworms (Lumbricidae) and various types of snails."
Strange that an animal loaded with venom doesn't go after small mammals or something.
"Solenodon paradoxus is described as a 'slow mover' and a 'clumsy runner with no agility in avoiding enemies and a poor means of defense'"
So what you're saying is, Solenodon paradoxus is the nerd of the jungle.
more interesting facts: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Solenodon_paradoxus.html [umich.edu]
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More venomous mammal info for nerds-
Another mammal with venom is the Platypus, it has spines in it's armpits that when injected causes unbelievably severe pain.
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Strange that an animal loaded with venom doesn't go after small mammals or something.
One might even say it was paradoxical...
Looks like a possum (Score:2)
Terror of the Fire Swamp (Score:5, Funny)
Poor platypus (Score:2)
And all this time I thought the platypus was the only venomous mammal. You learn something new every day.
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First thought that comes to mind (Score:5, Funny)
"And in this cage," (displays empty cage), "we can see the rare Caribbean poisonous shrew, which jumps out and injects its' prey with venom. Bites are instantly fatal, so we have to use extreme..."
[A brown blur crosses the screen and attacks the speaker's face] "AAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!"
Theme song (Score:2)
Killer Shrew!
Killer Shrew!
Don't know the difference 'tween me and you!
He comes out at night,
To give you a fright!
Don't look now
But he's gonna take a bite!
(Down-da-da-down-da-da-down-da-da-down)
Killer Shrew!
Killer Shrew!
K-I-Double L-E-R Shrew
He's scary and tough!
If that ain't enough,
He's augmented with
Bat mites and stuff!
--MST3K ode to the Killer Shrews [wikipedia.org]
Eats insects, but needs venom? (Score:2)
If it eats insects, why would it need venomous teeth? It looks like the kind of thing that runs away from bigger animals, so I can't imagine it used in defense. And insects could be swallowed whole.
Although, I don't know what insects are look in the Dominican Republic... I've seen desert cockroaches bigger than a human hand.
Fangs (Score:3, Interesting)
We discovered a River Otter living in our pond. I was suddenly glad the little guy wasn't poisonous. He was enjoying one of my bluegill for breakfast this am. If he starts eating my bass he could become an endangered species. Cute little rascal, though.
Wonder why an insect eating mammal needs venom? Those must be some bad ass bugs he's hunting.
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Wonder why an insect eating mammal needs venom? Those must be some bad ass bugs he's hunting.
In Haiti? Voodoo zombie centipedes, at least.
This is why I lose sleep at night (Score:5, Funny)
I know that, somewhere, a crazy genetic engineer is holding one of those little venomous beasts in his hand and thinking to himself, "These are cool. I wish they were bigger!"
His office is right next door to the insane scientist who is trying to breed 40 lb tarantulas, and down the hall from the aquarium-hugging genius who wants to cross flying fish with piranhas.
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I hate to go OT... but I saw your sig and I have to ask...
Does he beat Uwe Boll in cinematic disasters?
n != ñ (Score:2)
they are not the same letter.
I love how... (Score:2, Insightful)
Implies that they somehow, by accident, captured it on video somewhere deep in a jungle. You watch the video and NOPE. It is confinement with handlers. How is that rare footage?
IANAE (Score:2, Insightful)
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When dealing with insects, most humans prefer to use chemical warfare as well. (DDT, Diazinon, DEET, etc...) Why not other mammals?
For the geographically impaired (Score:2)
Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two states on one island in the Caribbean.
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I had the same thought. Maybe it's an evolutionary dead end or something.
From TFA:
"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."
Mammal poison vs. affection (Score:2)
How does this work, I wonder? Are the mammals in question actually immune to the poison, or are they just built not to bite themselves somehow? Seems the most likely explanation.
If the latter though, I wonder if this is related to mammalian affection at all? Lots of mammals seem to be affectionate enough to lick their young/mates, nuzzle, groom peers, playfi
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Of course--like most mammals--they'd rather not to bite themselves. ;)
Seriously, venomous animals don't need to be immune to their poison, but they can have other mechanisms to protect themselves, too:
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a little insect
You obviously haven't seen how big insects can get.
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It can also be for defense. If a predator doesn't survive the attack it benefits the other individuals of your species.
I'm also curious if they are positive this is actually venomous and not like the komodo dragon bite which is just from bacteria and not an actual venom.
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<em> seems to work fine for me (most browsers render <em> as italics).
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Just a though.
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I don't think they exist...
(followed by screaming)
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