Russian desman: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Russian desman lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Desmana moschata
Group	Hedgehogs, shrews & moles
Status	Critically endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	2 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Mammal
Order	Eulipotyphla
Family	Talpidae

Where does the Russian desman live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Russian desman in 2 countries and territories across Europe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Russian desman endangered?

The Russian desman’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Critically endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Russian desman?

The Russian desman (Desmana moschata) is a mammal in the order Eulipotyphla and the family Talpidae, genus Desmana. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Russian desman

The Russian desman (Desmana moschata; Russian: выхухоль vykhukhol') is a small semiaquatic mammal that inhabits the Volga, Don and Ural River basins in Russia. Some authorities, citing old Soviet sources, claim the animal can be found in Eastern Ukraine and Northern Kazakhstan, but, as of 2020, the accuracy of such claims is disputed. It constructs burrows into the banks of ponds and slow-moving streams, but prefers small, overgrown ponds with abundance of insects, crayfish and amphibians. The Russian desman often lives in small groups of two to five animals, that are usually not related, and appears to have a complex (but largely unstudied) communication and social system.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Russian desman (revision 1365228847), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q381760 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).