New Trip Report: Cuban Solenodon

An entertaining report from Vladimir Dinets, who just took a Covidly complicated – to put it mildly – to Cuba.

Cuban Solenodon, 2020: Vladimir Dinets, 2 days & several species inlcuding Cuban Solenodon and Prehensile-tailed Hutia.

Jon

2 Comments

  • Alvaro Jaramillo

    In Havana you can visit Orlando Garrido (ornithologists, mammalogist, Davis Cup tennis player!) and he has various captive Hutias. Among them are one which he said was an undescribed small species, perhaps what you are referring to. In any case, he may have them in his backyard to at least look at and consider. I do not know if there are specimens in the museum in Havana? You would have to ask him.

  • Vladimir Dinets

    If he has them in captivity, why not describe them?
    I first heard about these small hutias in 2016 from the staff at Alejandro de Humboldt park office; they said that some European expedition observed them a year or two earlier. A more recent park survey didn’t report them, but we apparently saw one last year in just half a night of walking around with a thermal scope, which means they aren’t that rare and should be known to the locals at least. Strange.

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