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Russian desman - DESMANA MOSCHATA
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Desman": "Desman" is from the Swedish "desman(sratte)" for "musk (rat)."
Description: A rat-sized insectivore with short limbs, webbed hind feet and a long laterally-flattened scaly tail, the desman has a long proboscislike snout. The fur is soft and dense, chestnut brown dorsally, and lighter beneath. Head and body about 8 in in length, tail about the same; weight 3.5 to 7.7 oz.
Location: Russia.
Habitat: Aquatic. Slow-moving rivers and streams.
Behavior: Well equipped for its aquatic life, the Russian desman burrows extensively into riverbanks, leaving entrances well below water level for access under winter ice. Grass nests are placed in chambers above water level. This nocturnal and crepuscular (twilight active) animal swims efficiently, often using its long nose as a snorkel or as an underwater sensor to search out food such as mollusks, worms, water insects, fish, and frogs. Water plants are also eaten. The species was hunted almost to extinction but is now strictly protected. (It is, however, endangered.) Its fur was used for trimmings, and the strong musk from glands at the base of the tail was used in perfume manufacture. A smaller species, the Spanish or Pyrenean desman, lives in the Pyrenees.
Reproduction: After a gestation of 40 to 50 days, a litter of three to five young is born in early summer or in the autumn. The offspring are weaned when about one month old, and become fully grown in a year.
Go to the Insectivores Page to get a general discussion of these animals.
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