The Russian Desman

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The Russian Desman is a part of the mole family, and it lives both on land and in the water. It is not a big animal. Its weight is from 400 to 520 grams. Russian desman is covered with thick, waterproof double fur. Outer coat consists of stiff, long hairs. Soft undercoat consists of short, dense hairs. Fur is brown-reddish on the upper part of the body and grey-colored on the belly. Like other moles it is almost blind but has a developed sense of smell and touch. The Russian desman often lives in small (usually not related) groups of two to five animals.

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SIZE (ADULT) Body length : 18 to 22 cm Tail length : 5.1 to 5.8 cm WHERE THEY LIVE The Russian Desman lives in the south-west part of Russia and in Ukraine. Russian desman inhabits slow moving rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, and occasionally brackish water. WHAT THEY EAT Russian desman is an omnivore (it eats plants and meat). Its diet consists of at least 72 types of aquatic invertebrates and 30 different plant species. Other than that, Russian desman consumes insects, fish and amphibians.

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Number of Russian desmans in the wild is drastically reduced during the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century due to increased demand for their fur. The Russian Desman has also been suffering because its water and the surrounding environment have become polluted. Currently, people are trying to protect the Russian Desman by doing things like moving the animals to safe locations. However, their numbers continue to decrease.