Russian Desman
Desmana moschata
Red List assessment
Critically Endangeredon the IUCN Red List
- EXExtinct
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- CRCritically Endangered
- ENEndangered
- VUVulnerable
- NTNear Threatened
- LCLeast Concern
The IUCN Red List assesses the Russian Desman as Critically Endangered.
- Genus
- Desmana
- Red List category
- Critically Endangered
- Data updated
- August 9, 2026
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The Russian Desman is one of the mammals assessed by the IUCN Red List, so it has a page here — with its scientific name, Desmana moschata, its conservation category and, where one is known, a recorded observation on the map. What is missing is the rest: habitat, distribution, diet, behaviour, threats and the conservation work under way.
Each profile is researched and checked one species at a time, and there are thousands to go. You can put this one at the front of the queue.
In the meantime, the full assessment is on the IUCN Red List.
Questions about the Russian Desman
Is the Russian Desman endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List assesses the Russian Desman as Critically Endangered, one of the three threatened categories. The species faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. This is the last category before extinction, and it is reached through a very small or steeply declining population, a tiny range, or both.
What is the scientific name of the Russian Desman?
The Russian Desman is Desmana moschata.
Sources
Conservation status, range description and population estimate come from the IUCN Red List assessment for Desmana moschata. Countries are derived from that range description, not from a mapped country list. Last refreshed on .
The distribution map is drawn from the IUCN Red List spatial data compiled in 2023. IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group