The Venomous Mammal

Not all mammals are cute or fluffy.

The solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) is one of few mammals about as fearsome as they are small. Solenodons eat a wide variety of things, but the most astonishing factoid one usually hears is that they are venomous. Their saliva is toxic, and there are grooves on the sides of its front teeth that help deliver this into bites. The teeth are very snake like in other fashions, too: the rear edges have deep keels, which aid in deep biting without as much force being delivered, good for an animal that hunts underground.