Desman
Desmans are diving insectivores of the tribe Desmanini (also considered a subfamily, Desmaninae) in the mole family, Talpidae. This tribe consists of two exant monotypic genera of semiaquatic insectivores found in Europe: one in Russia and the other in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula and Pyrenees. Both species are considered to be vulnerable. They have webbed paws and their front paws are not well-adapted for digging. Desmans were much more diverse and widespread during the Miocene, with two genera, Gaillardia and Magnatalpa, being present in North America. Both living species are thought to have derived from the fossil genus Archaeodesmana. Species
Genus Desmana
Russian desman (D. moschata)
†Desmana kowalskae
†Desmana nehringi
†Desmana inflata
†Desmana thermalis
†Desmana marci
Genus Galemys
Pyrenean desman (G. pyrenaicus)
 Genus †Asthenoscapter Miocene, Europe
 Genus †Archaeodesmana Miocene-Pliocene, Europe
 Genus †Desmanella Miocene, Europe
 Genus †Gaillardia Miocene, North America
 Genus †Mygalinia Late Miocene, Hungary
 Genus †Magnatalpa Miocene-Pliocene, North America
Genus †Ruemkelia

Gallery

In the media

References

Talpidae
Aquatic mammals
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas