Seasons Of The Witch

Putting up an entry on a bizarre looking little rodant thought extinct not too long ago, but in very recent years was found alive and well in Cuba. The male almiqui, which is native to Cuba, was found in the island's eastern mountains, according to Cuban news agency Prensa Latina. The discovery raises hopes "that it will not wind up in the catalog of the irretrievable animals disappearing from the face of the Earth,"

The Cuban solenodon or Almique, is an insectivore weighing about 1 kg (2.2 lb). It is found in dense, humid forests and brush country, as well as around plantations. Insects and spiders found in soil and leaf litter form most of its diet. The Cuban solenodon is mainly nocturnal, hiding during the day in rock clefts, hollow trees, or burrows which it excavates itself. Solenodons obtain food by rooting in the ground with their snouts and by tearing into rotten logs and trees with their foreclaws. The 1 or 2 young in a litter are born in a nesting burrow.

By 1970, some thought that the Cuban solenodon had become extinct, since no specimens had been found since 1890. However, three were captured in 1974 and 1975, and subsequent surveys showed that it still occurred in many places in central and western Oriente Province, at the eastern end of Cuba. However, it is rare everywhere. The Cuban Solenodon that was found in 2003, named Alejandrito, brought the number ever caught to 37. He weighed 24 ounces and was healthy. He was released back into the wild after two days of scientific study were completed.

Introduction of the Burmese mongoose into Cuba is believed to have accounted for the near-extermination of the solenodon. Currently, feral cats are probably the greatest threat, since the areas the solenodon inhabits now is not good mongoose habitat. In addition to predation by introduced predators, habitat loss is also a factor contributing to the solenodon's rarity. The Cuban solenodon is not hunted for food.