📸 PhotoPhoto: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Russian Desman
Desmana moschata (Russian Desman · ロシアデスマン)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum head-and-body length of 22 cm is slightly longer than the short side of A4 paper (21 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Hunted until the late 1800s for its fur and musk glands used in perfumery, it is now protected.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Russian Desman is a waterside mole family member living in slow-moving streams, lakes, and ponds, and is the largest member of Talpidae. It is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has a long, flexible grooved snout and a scaly, laterally flattened tail with scent glands at the base that give off a musky odor. Its forefeet are partially webbed, its hind feet are fully webbed, and its waterproof coat has two layers.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds on aquatic creatures such as fish, bivalves, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects. Up to 8 individuals may share a burrow, and it breeds up to twice a year with litters of 3–5 young.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List CR (2023) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6506/231334630
- • IUCN Red List category CR — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • mammaldiversity.org — 1004308
- • iucnredlist.org — 231334630
- • wikidata.org — Q381760
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Desmana moschata MHNT.INS.10.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Desmana moschata
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Steven Traver · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.