solenodon

[suh-lee-nuh-don, -len-uh-]

noun

1. either of two insectivores of the genus Solenodon, resembling a large shrew and having small eyes, a long and pointy snout, and a scaly tail, including the coarse-haired, reddish-brown to grayish-black S. paradoxus of Hispaniola and the finer-haired, usually darker S. cubanus of Cuba: S. paradoxus is an endangered species; S. cubanus is rare and possibly endangered.

solenodon

/ səˈlɛnədən /

noun

1. either of two rare shrewlike nocturnal mammals of the Caribbean, Atopogale cubana ( Cuban solenodon ) or Solenodon paradoxus ( Haitian solenodon ), having a long hairless tail and an elongated snout: family Solenodontidae, order Insectivora (insectivores)

Word History and Origins

Origin of solenodon¹

First recorded in 1830–40; from New Latin, from Greek sōlḗn “channel, pipe, syringe” + -odōn “-toothed”; -odont

Word History and Origins

Origin of solenodon¹

C19: from New Latin, from Latin sōlēn sea mussel, razor-shell (from Greek: pipe) + Greek odōn tooth

Example Sentences

The most primitive species was the venomous burrowing insect-eater Hispaniola solenodon, closely related to mammals alive during the dinosaur age.

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But in a paper published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a diverse group of researchers outline the intriguing conclusions they reached about how the solenodon got its dangerous spit, after they sequenced its genome and analyzed its venom.

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The researchers injected mice with solenodon venom and saw that indeed, while their pulse and breathing did not change, their blood pressure dropped precipitously as soon as the venom went in.

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This could render prey foggy-headed and easier for the solenodon to finish off, the researchers suggest.

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Another venomous mammal among the solenodon’s relatives, the northern short-tailed shrew, also has kallikreins in its venom.

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