Desman

Desmans are diving insectivores of the tribe Desmanini (also considered a subfamily, Desmaninae) in the mole family, Talpidae.

Desmanini[1] Temporal range: Late Oligocene–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Russian desman (Desmana moschata)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Talpidae
Subfamily:	Talpinae
Tribe:	Desmanini Thomas, 1912

This tribe consists of two extant 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 endangered, the Russian desman critically so.^[2][3] 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.^[4][5] Both living species are thought to have derived from the fossil genus Archaeodesmana.^[6]