Desman

Desmans are special kinds of animals that live in water. They belong to a group called Desmanini, which is part of the mole family. There are two types of desmans that are still alive today. One is called the Russian desman and lives in European Russia, and the other is the Pyrenean desman, found in parts of Spain and France near the Pyrenees mountains.

Both of these desmans are in danger of disappearing, with the Russian desman being especially at risk. They have webbed paws, which help them swim, but their front paws are not made for digging like other moles. Long ago, during a time called the Miocene, there were many more kinds of desmans, even in North America. Scientists believe the two living types today came from an older group of desmans that lived even longer ago.

Species

Further information: List of talpids

• Genus Desmana
  • Russian desman (D. moschata)
  • †Desmana kowalskae
  • †Desmana nehringi
  • †Desmana inflata
  • †Desmana thermalis
  • †Desmana marci
• Genus Galemys
  • Pyrenean desman (G. pyrenaicus)
• Genus †Asthenoscapter Miocene, Europe
• Genus †Archaeodesmana Miocene-Pliocene, Europe
• Genus †Desmanella Miocene, Europe
• Genus †Gaillardia Miocene, North America
• Genus †Mygalinia Late Miocene, Hungary
• Genus †Magnatalpa Miocene-Pliocene, North America
• Genus †Ruemkelia

In the media

There have been news stories about desmans. In 2012, a reporter named Rebecca Morelle wrote about the Pyrenean desman for BBC News Online, calling it one of Europe’s most unusual animals. In 2006, BBC News also reported on people in Russia who were concerned about protecting water animals there.