Yahoo! News - Mystery Worm-Eating Critter Found in Cuba: HAVANA - With its long snout and tiny body covered with spiky, long brown hair, the worm-munching creature 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 ancient and enigmatic creature seen in four years, local media said.
The find proved conclusively that Solenodon Cubanus still survives, and raised hopes that the curious animal dubbed 'Alejandrito' may have other relatives roaming the island.
The nocturnal animal burrows underground during the daytime, explaining why it is rarely seen. After the sun goes down, it emerges to root out worms, larvae and insects.
Prensa Latina said the last reported sightings of the creatures were in 1972 in Cuba's eastern province of Guantanamo and in 1999 in the eastern province of Holguin.
But a farmer in eastern Cuba recently found the first live specimen of the ancient and enigmatic creature seen in four years, local media said.
The find proved conclusively that Solenodon Cubanus still survives, and raised hopes that the curious animal dubbed 'Alejandrito' may have other relatives roaming the island.
The nocturnal animal burrows underground during the daytime, explaining why it is rarely seen. After the sun goes down, it emerges to root out worms, larvae and insects.
Prensa Latina said the last reported sightings of the creatures were in 1972 in Cuba's eastern province of Guantanamo and in 1999 in the eastern province of Holguin.
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