VulnerableIberian Desman
Galemys pyrenaicus
One of the 2 desmans on WAnimals
Mammals · Eulipotyphla · Talpidae
Desmana moschata
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
The Russian desman is an aquatic mole of the basins of European Russia and Ukraine, the only living representative of its genus. It is almost blind and finds its way with a highly sensitive mobile snout and long whiskers as it hunts invertebrates on the bottom. It digs burrows whose entrance lies under water and in which several adults may live together. Its waterproof fur and its musk gland, used in perfumery, made it the target of intensive hunting that, together with pollution and fishing nets, has caused its populations to collapse.
Weight
400 g – 520 g
Size
18 cm – 22 cm
Life expectancy
4 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Desmana moschata
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Russian Desman — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The russian desman is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
Based on what we already know about russian desman.
