Desman
Desmans are aquatic insectivores of the tribe Desmanini in the mole family, Talpidae.
This tribe consists of two living species found in Europe: the Russian desman in European Russia, and the Pyrenean desman in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and the Pyrenees. Both species are endangered, the Russian desman critically so. 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
- *†Desmana kowalskae
- *†Desmana nehringi
- *†Desmana inflata
- *†Desmana thermalis
- *†Desmana marci
- Genus Galemys
- *Pyrenean desman
- 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''
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