| The Red List of Kazakhstan |   |
Desmana moschata
Russian desman
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates (Chordata) |
| Class | Mammals (Mammalia) |
| Order | Insect-eating mammals (Insectivora) |
| Family | Moles (Talpidae) |
| Genus | Desmans (Desmana) |
| Species Authority | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Information | |
| Summary | Status: vulnerable (Category II), decreasing in number, endemic of the CIS. In Kazak-stan, it originally inhabited the mouth of the Ural River and the Kushum Channel. From time to time this animal can also be found in the delta of the Volga River. In 1961, it was brought to the River Ui in the Che-lyabinsk Region from where it reached the Kostanay region. The Russian desman lives in water vegetations along deep lakes and rivers. The number of this species is about 3,000 individuals. The basic limiting factors are drainage of arable lands, the clearing of forests, contamination of rivers and lakes and poaching. The protection measures in Kazakstan include a hunting ban that has been in effect since 1920. To continue protection activities, it is necessary to reinforce the protection of this species in the existing reserves and to create a new reserve along the Ural River. |
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© by Institute for Zoology and Gene Pool of Animals of National Academy of Scienties of Republic of Kazakhstan, 1996.
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