desman, either of two species of amphibious Eurasian moles that den on land but seek prey underwater instead of burrowing through soil. The protruding flexible snout is flat and grooved with a lobed tip. Desmans have tiny eyes and no external ears; the ear holes and nostrils close underwater. The forefeet are partially webbed and fringed with stiff hairs. The huge hind feet are webbed to the tips of the digits and are also fringed with hair. Claws are long, curved, and sharp. Both species have water-repellent fur that is long, soft, and dense.
The tail of the Russian desman (Desmana moschata) is flattened horizontally and has scent glands at its base that exude a strong musky odour that envelops the animal. The Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) of western Europe has similar scent glands. It has a cylindrical tail, flat near its tip and fringed with stiff hairs. The Russian desman resembles a muskrat, weighing 100–220 grams (3.5–7.8 ounces), with a body about 20 cm (8 inches) long and a tail of about the same length. Upperparts are dark brown; underparts are silvery gray. The smaller Pyrenean desman weighs 35–80 grams (1.23–2.82 ounces), with a body 11–14 cm (4–6 inches) long and a longer tail (12–16 cm; 5–6 inches). It is grayish brown above and silvery gray beneath.
The Russian desman is nocturnal and inhabits unpolluted lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams and rivers. It swims propelled by its hind feet and tail, using its mobile proboscis-like snout to thrust and probe along the bottom for insects, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and amphibians. Dens are constructed in stream banks and lake margins. A tunnel with an underwater entrance leads to a nest chamber above water level. One or two litters of two to five young are usual; gestation lasts 40–50 days. The Russian desman is indigenous to southwestern Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan in basins of the Don, Volga, and Ural rivers. It has been introduced into the catchments of the Ob and Dnieper rivers of northern Russia and Ukraine, respectively. Populations have declined owing to excessive trapping for fur, water pollution, and competition for space with introduced muskrats and nutrias.
The nocturnal Pyrenean desman prefers cold, clear, and swift mountain streams and rivers at elevations from 300 to 2,200 metres (1,000 to 7,200 feet). Although awkward on land, it is an adept, fast swimmer, propelling itself primarily by its strong hind legs and feet. During the day it shelters in crevices among stones and roots in stream banks or in burrows constructed by water voles. Litters of one to five young are born after a gestation of 30 days. Aquatic insect larvae and nymphs, crustaceans, and sometimes fish make up its diet. The Pyrenean desman inhabits the Pyrenees Mountains and the northern mountains of the Iberian Peninsula. It is threatened by stream pollution and other manmade alterations of its habitat.
Desmans are a subfamily (Desmaninae) of moles (family Talpidae, order Soricomorpha), which belong to a larger group of mammals referred to as insectivores. Other Eurasian species of Desmana and Galemys evolved and then went extinct during the Pliocene Epoch (5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago).