Russian desman

species of mammal of genus Desmana in the family Talpidae

The Russian desman (Desmana moschata) is a type of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is the largest type of mole. It is found in the Volga, Don and Ural River basins in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It digs burrows into the banks of ponds and slow-moving streams. It prefers small, overgrown ponds with lots of insects, crayfish and amphibians. The Russian desman often lives in small groups of two to five of them that are usually not related.

Russian desman
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Talpidae
Genus: Desmana
Güldenstädt, 1777
Species:
D. moschata[1]
Binomial name
Desmana moschata[1]
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Russian desman range
Synonyms

Castor moschatus Linnaeus, 1758

References change

  1. Hutterer, R. (2005). "Order Soricomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Kennerley, R. & Turvey, S. T. (2016). "Desmana moschata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T6506A22321477.