The Cuban solendon (and formerly the Hispaniolan solenodon) is considered Endangered due to predation by the small Indian mongoose ("Herpestes auropunctatus"), which was introduced in colonial times to hunt snakes and rats, as well as by feral cats and dogs. The Cuban solenodon was thought to have been extinct until a live specimen was found in 2003. Marcano's solenodon ("Solenodon marcanoi") became extinct after the arrival of Europeans. The Hispaniolan solenodon was also once thought to be extinct, probably more because of its secretive and elusive behavior than to low population numbers. Recent studies have proven that the species is widely distributed through the island of Hispaniola, but it does not tolerate habitat degradation.