One of the 2 desmans on WAnimals
Mammals · Eulipotyphla · Talpidae
Iberian Desman
Galemys pyrenaicus
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The Pyrenean desman is a small aquatic mole endemic to the north of the Iberian Peninsula, with a mobile, sensitive snout, webbed hind feet and a flattened tail that it uses as a rudder. At night it hunts caddisfly and mayfly larvae and other invertebrates that it locates by touch on the riverbed. It is extremely demanding: it needs cold, highly oxygenated, unpolluted water, along with banks with roots and holes in which to shelter. Its populations have declined drastically over recent decades.
Weight
50 g – 80 g
Size
11 cm – 16 cm
Life expectancy
4 years
