Russian desman is a small mammal from the mole family. It lives in freshwater bodies, swims well, and uses its long snout to search for food on the bottom.
The Russian desman differs from other moles by its aquatic lifestyle, webbed feet, and flat tail. It is important for nature as a consumer of aquatic invertebrates and an indicator of water body purity. The species is endangered.
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Worker
Lots of rain and snowy winter
Tail size
birth time
Submerges underwater to reach prey or food at depth.
bottom
aquatic insects
breeding
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
shallow coastal zones of rivers and lakes
g
lots of rain, warm summer, snow in winter
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
days
worms
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
crustaceans
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
small planktonic crustaceans — copepods, krill
adult
Maturity
fish of small size
invertebrates
About health
milk
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
diving
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
Trophic type
all living animals without backbone
Filters
small fish
Palearctic realm
roots of plants
Upcoming birthdays
protection
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
in a burrow
rains almost always, very humid
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Age (juvenile)
insect larvae and caterpillars
Age (from birth to death)
Foraging occurs on the floor of aquatic or terrestrial habitats.
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
lots of rain, hot summer, lots of snow in winter
Lifespan average
in a terrestrial nest
live birth
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
swampy freshwater biotopes — peat bogs, marshes, river mangroves
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
Freshwater
Pets
all rivers and lakes
Lots of rain and cool summer
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
turns
Rascals
Tail color
olfaction
Flooded grasslands
drink mother's milk in childhood
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
nest hidden in an underground burrow, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
all rivers and lakes
larvae
insects living in water or near water — mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Locomotion through water employed while searching for or capturing prey.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
normal sexual
freshwater marsh and wetlands
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
age
birth date
swimming
Palearctic realm
soil
freshwater coastal and creek
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
Hind feet count
burrow
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
Very hot summer
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
lots of rain, summer not hot
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Gestation
from 130 grams to 0.5 kilograms, 0.35 – 0.8 meters
aquatic
land
summer very hot, above +25…+30 °C
{name} birthday
live annelid worms
Hind feet size
aquatic insects
No results found
On the map
Pleasant summer
crustaceans
all life stages
Female ♀
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
warm temperate humid
birth year
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
caring mother
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
Snout size
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Neither
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
diving and foraging on the bottom using smell
What do they eat?
insect larvae
Where do they live?
Lots of rain and warm summer
much snow in winter, cold
water often floods the land, lots of grass
Freshwater
Temperate mixed forest
Duration
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
freshwater
Always very wet
Gamers
small fish
How are they built?
Cool summer and lots of rain
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Warm summer and lots of rain
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
embryo
Zucchini
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
Observations
◉{N} more on tap