Giant Shrew Had Red Teeth, Toxic Saliva

May 18, 2009

Researchers from the University of Zaragoza have just discovered the remains of a giant shrew that had red teeth, toxic saliva and lived nearly one million years ago in northern Spain. 

Part of the shrew's lower jaw, showing redness on the fang tip

(Credit: J. Trueba)

"To date, all the medium to large-sized Soricidae (shrew family) fossils discovered in the deposits of the Sierra de Atapuerca belonged to Beremendia fissidens, a species of plio-pleistocene shrew that was distributed throughout Europe," said Juan Rofes, lead author of the study that has been published recently in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society and a researcher in the Paleontology Department at the UNIZAR.

Rofes and his team think the shrew, Dolinasorex glyphodon, first emerged in eastern Asia before heading over to Spain. Once in Spain, the animal likely lived in a warm, wet and comfy environment, which could explain why some species made the trek to Espana.

The researchers say the shrew had "the looks of the devil," given its unusual red teeth, big size (for a mouse-like shrew) and toxic saliva.

Part of the shrew's jawbone
(Credit: Juan Rofes y Gloria Cuenca-Bescós)

It injected venom similar to how snakes administer their poison, via a "narrow and conspicuous channel" located on the inside surface of its lower incisors. "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," explained Rofes.

I can only guess that the red color of its teeth had to do with some chemical component of the shrew's poisonous saliva, but am not sure.

This particular shrew met a rather grisly end itself. The scientists think it was eaten by a bird of prey and then its bones were regurgitated. Essentially, the researchers discovered a new mammal then out of bird barf.

The below video shows footage of some of the existing relatives of the now-extinct red-toothed Spanish shrew. This rare zoo birth occurred just a few months ago.