Solenodon paradoxus

Solenodon
There is an animal that seems to assembled from cat, rat and poisenous snake : the Solenodon paradoxus
It is not fully known what this creature eats; some believe that it eats fruits and plants, and others believe that it only eats invertebrates such as earthworms, ground beetles, millipedes, snails and no fruit or plant. The solenodon posesses poisonous salivary glands which inject venom into its prey as it is bitten, making it one of the very few and rare poisenous mammals. Little is known about the behaviour but females are known to buils a nest before giving birth.

All remaining populations are said to be found only in two places in the Dominican Republic: Jaragua , Del Este National Parks and La Visite National Park in Haiti.

video

It does not make sense. Look at the seize of it. How can needs it poison an earthworm in order to kill it?

Yes the description is contradictory. How can it eat only fruits (one of the possibilities given) if it poisons its prey? Or is it a defense mechanism?

One of the few other poisonous mammals is the male platypus, which has a poisonous spur.

Woh!, that's another animal that seems to have been stitched together from different other ones' parts.
It must be defense mechanism, the poison. Why paralyse an earthworm or a berry, the idea is so funny.
platypus

That's all well and good when you're talking about worms and berries, but what about tomatoes?

Solenodon Paradoxus

Origin:
1830–40; < NL < Gk solen ;ln channel, pipe, syringe + -odon -toothed

I can only surmise that the second part of it's name refers to the odd appearance.

Cute little animal. I sent the link to a couple friends of mine. We all agree how amazingly
it looks like the animal we have here in the Great Plains called an opossum. Plays dead
or "possum" when attacked, thus others leave it alone. Found a couple in my garage from
time to time. Very docile: pick them up and return them to the creek which runs behind
my house. My dog occasionally brings me one as a gift laying it at my feet. So sweet.
But at any rate, does look like an opossum. Ours' will bite, but just play dead. Thanks for
the link.

Not to mention Brussells Sprouts!

Maybe the wiggling (worm not berry) makes it nauseous.

They eat them on those shows about "fear". Yummy, wiggle and all.