Insectivore Thought Extinct Is Found in Cuba

With its long snout and tiny body covered with spiky, long brown hair, the worm-munching mammal known as Solenodon cubanus long has been a mystery to zoologists, who believed it to be extinct.

But a farmer in eastern Cuba recently found the first live specimen of the enigmatic creature seen in four years. The animal, known locally as an almiqui, was named “Alejandrito” by the farmer who found it in the eastern province of Holguin.

Veterinarians have declared the male almiqui to be in perfect health.