Although reliable estimates are unavailable, these animals are confirmed to have survived the
Pleistocene extinction, since remains have been found among
Rattus and
Mus species. Some authorities estimate extinction coinciding with the arrival 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. However, the two groups diverged more than 40 million years ago. The West Indies shrews have been described only 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-16th century dates, suggesting that the nesophontids became extinct very rapidly at approximately the time of European discovery and settlement of the Greater Antilles. However, the
Cayman nesophontes possibly survived until around 1632 to 1774, with a likely extinction date of . ==Species==