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Tiny Shrew Shot Venom Through Blood-Red Teeth

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GrnMarvl14

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Source w/ picture of skull.

Scientists have found the fossil remains in Spain of a new species of mega-shrew that was capable of shooting venom out of blood-colored teeth.

The researchers describe the extinct shrew , Dolinasorex glyphodon, as "giant."

Its body mass reached only 2.1 ounces (60 grams), but that is about four times heavier than a modern, large-sized member of the same family of insect-eating shrews (the Soricidae), such as the water shrew (Neomys fodiens) which weighs in at around half an ounce (14 grams).

The remains also reveal that the red-toothed shrew was capable of "injecting toxic saliva" like snakes do, via a "narrow and conspicuous channel" located on the inside surface of its lower incisors, said Juan Rofes, lead author of a new study of the shrew and a researcher in the Paleontology Department at the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR).

"This was a mechanism very similar to that of the modern solenodons and almiquis, which are close relatives of the shrews and live on the islands of Cuba and Haiti," Rofes told SINC, a Spanish science news and information service.

The results of his study are in the April issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

The remains of the strange mammal were found in a deposit in Gran Dolina de Atapuerca, in Burgos, Spain, in layers that date to between 780,000 and 900,000 years ago.

The site also is rich in fossils of early humans .

The animal was more closely related to eastern Asian than European shrews, Rofes said. It could have arisen and evolved in eastern Asia and then migrated to the Iberian Peninsula, he said.

"To date, all the medium to large-sized Soricidae fossils discovered in the deposits of the Sierra de Atapuerca belonged to Beremendia fissidens, a species of ... shrew that was distributed throughout Europe," Rofes said.
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Well, that's just cool.
 
Awesome, I know 2.1 ounces is not much, but todays shrew is only 0.17-0.42 ounces (5-12g) so thats a bit bigger by comparison then. Kinda glad they don't exist today, would not like another venomus creature roaming around.
 
Wow, that's actually incredibly interesting and badass.

2.1 ounces is basically a giant freaking shrew. Massive by today's shrew standards.
 
My cat likes to drag home shrews. (I think I saw it try to pounce on a hawk once.) I can imagine this scenario. *flinches*
 
Looks like the Ice Age shrew will get a new power for the 5th movie!
 
The first thing I thought when I read this was that it would make a cool basis for a new pokemon. A shrew-like thing with blood red teeth. xD

I guess pokemon was onto something anyway.
 
I know. They have to be running out of ideas by now.

"Look, kids! It's Flapperquack, the new platypus Pokémon!"

*fandom becomes ecstatic*

*empoleonfrost rolls eyes*
 
Why are all the cool animals extinct?
 
I thought there were living species of poisonous shrew?
 
Zeta said:
I thought there were living species of poisonous shrew?
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There are some venomous shrews (Poisonous would mean that they would release toxins if ingested). But their toxins are probably not as sophisicated as say, a snake's. There are only a few venomous mammals because mammals are smart and fast enough to just use their teeth and claws to disable their prey. No living venomous mammals can spit their venom though.

Other venomous mammals would include the Platypus (males have venmonous spurs on their hind legs, which are used in terrtory disputes) and the slow loris (it's actually poisonous, since it uses it's toxin to ward of predators).
 
Haha, wow, that's so awesome.


I often wonder what it would be like to have animals like these still around today, the dodo for instance. I want to see a giant shrew.
 
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