# Russian desman (*Desmana moschata*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/russian-desman  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The russian desman (Desmana moschata), also called the desman, is a mammal in the family Talpidae, order Eulipotyphla, placed in the subfamily Talpinae and tribe Desmanini. It is a small, terrestrial, nocturnal invertivore, with a representative adult body mass of 383 g and values up to 984 g reported. Gestation lasts 37.2 days (up to 50 days reported), litters hold 5 young, there are 2.2 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 151 days. The IUCN Red List assesses the russian desman globally as Critically Endangered (CR), a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 383 g – 983.8 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 7.91 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 10 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 37.2 days – 50 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.5 – 5.07 |
| Age at maturity | 4.96 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.22 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Eulipotyphla
- family: Talpidae
- genus: Desmana
- species: *Desmana moschata* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Castor moschatus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the russian desman?

The russian desman is a mammal in the family Talpidae, order Eulipotyphla. It belongs to the subfamily Talpinae and the tribe Desmanini.

### Is the russian desman endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Critically Endangered (CR), a threatened category.

### What does the russian desman eat?

The russian desman is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### How heavy is a russian desman?

An adult Russian desman has a representative body mass of 383 g, with values up to 984 g reported. This places it in the small size class.

### How long does a russian desman live?

Its lifespan is 7.9 years, with values up to 10 years reported.

### How many young does the russian desman have?

The russian desman has 5 young per litter and 2.2 litters per year, after a gestation period of 37.2 days.

### Who named the russian desman?

Its scientific name, Desmana moschata, carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Russian desman (Desmana moschata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/russian-desman