Nesophontes

Nesophontes, sometimes called West Indies shrews, is a genus of the extinct mammal family Nesophontidae in the order Eulipotyphla. This is the only genus described for this family. These animals were small insectivores, about 5 to 15 cm long, with a long slender snout and head and a long tail. They were endemic to Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands.

Although reliable estimates are unavailable, these animals are widely believed to have survived the Pleistocene extinction since remains have been found among those of Rattus and Mus species. Some authorities estimate extinction coinciding with the arrivals of rats aboard Spanish vessels in the early 16th century (1500). Others, such as Morgan and Woods, claim that some species survived until the early 20th century. A phylogenetic study in 2016, based on DNA extracted from a specimen about 750 years old, suggests their nearest relatives are the solenodons, although the two groups diverged more than 40 million years ago.

The West Indies shrews have only been described from fossil records and skeletal material in owl pellets found in the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. Recent efforts to locate surviving populations have been unsuccessful. Although some Nesophontes remains (in owl pellets) have been reported as fresh-appearing, radiocarbon dating has failed to support any post-15th century dates, suggesting that the nesophontids became extinct very rapidly at approximately the time of European discovery of the Greater Antilles.

Since Nesophontes species have only been observed through fossil records the exact number of species varies among authorities. Some claim as many as 12 valid species while other claim as few as six.

Two other species from the Cayman Islands remain undescribed.