The giant solenodon (''Solenodon arredondoi'') is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of soricomorph that occurred in western

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. A larger animal than the still-extant

Cuban solenodon The Cuban solenodon or ''almiquí'' (''Atopogale cubana'') is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to mountainous forests on Cuba. It is the only species in the genus ''Atopogale''. An elusive animal, it lives in burrows and is only active ...

(''Atopogale cubana''), the species is believed to have been eradicated through

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and the introduction of predatory dogs to Cuba by pre-Columbian people.

References

Solenodon Holocene extinctions Extinct mammals Extinct animals of Cuba Venomous mammals Mammals of Cuba Mammals of the Caribbean Mammals described in 1993 Mammal extinctions since 1500 Endemic fauna of Cuba {{eulipotyphla-stub