Desman

Desman, common name for certain mammals in the mole family that lead a semi-aquatic existence beside ponds and streams, feeding on insects, fish, and molluscs. The so-called Russian desman occurs in the drainage basins of the rivers of Russia and Kazakhstan. It has a long, flared, flexible snout and grows to a length of about 20 cm (8 in), with a laterally compressed tail of nearly equal length. Its front paws are partially webbed, and its rear paws are fully webbed. The burrows of desmans have underwater entrances. Scent glands give the animals an odour like that of muskrats, but their beautiful reddish brown fur has made them an endangered species. The Pyrenean desman is smaller; one variety occurs in the Pyrenees, the other in mountains of Portugal.

Scientific classification: Desmans belong to the family Talpidae. The Russian desman is classified as Desmana moschata, the Pyrenean desman as Galemys pyrenaicus.