The Russian muskrat is an amazing animal that has been comfortable on planet Earth for more than 30 million years. As in past times, so today, the appearance of this river animal, resembling a small rat and belonging to the mole family for its ability to dig deep holes, has not changed at all.
Russian desman: description
Still the same trunk-like, long nose, paws with webbing between the fingers, a long tail compressed from the sides, covered with horny scales and which is an excellent steering wheel on fast and sharp turns. The Russian muskrat has a well streamlined body; her belly is silvery white, her back is brown.
This coloration makes the animal almost invisible in the water, successfully disguising itself as the environment. The coat is thick enough and does not get wet, as the animal, with the help of its hind legs, lubricates it with musk produced by special glands located at the base of the tail. The Russian desman did not work out with vision, it fully compensates for its lackexcellent sense of smell. Although the muskrat's hearing is well developed, it has some specifics. She can completely ignore the conversation of people, but shudder at the slightest splash of water, a twig crunching under her foot, a rustle in dry grass.
Nory - favorite places of Russian desman
The Russian muskrat, which prefers places of quiet current (lakes and backwaters) for life, loves to dig complex and long burrows (over 10 meters). In comfortable, forested banks, there are whole labyrinths of underground tunnels, the entrances to which are hidden under the water column. When the water level drops, the animal is forced to lengthen the underground passages, again leading them under the river surface.
Also, the Russian muskrat makes short burrows with a camera and wet bedding, where in winter it replenishes its air reserves when moving under the ice. Basically, chambers in burrows serve for rest and eating.
What the Russian desman eats
Food for khokhuli (so affectionately called the Russian muskrat in Russia) in the spring, summer and autumn are leeches, crustaceans, aquatic insects and their larvae, marsh plants.
In winter, the Russian muskrat will not refuse a numb frog, inactive small fish, bivalve mollusks. Burrows sometimes accumulate whole mountains of food debris - exactly what the animal needs: plenty of food and a good reservoir with convenient places for holes. Sometimes the daily weight of the food eaten is equal to the weight of the animal.
Caring foroffspring
Offspring (from one to five kids) muskrat can lead twice a year. Cubs, whose weight does not exceed 2-3 grams, are born tiny, blind and naked. True, after two weeks their body is already covered with hairs. On the 23-24th day, the mother begins to acquaint them with the outside world. In a month, the animals erupt teeth, they try insect larvae and shellfish meat.
The father helps the female, a wonderful and caring mother, in caring for the offspring. If adults leave the hole, then the children in this case are carefully covered with a “blanket” of plants. With an approaching danger, the mother on her back transports the babies to a more peaceful place. By 7-8 months, the grown offspring become independent and leave their home.
Danger at every turn
Desman life expectancy is about 5 years, provided that it is not shortened by external factors. And these can be unexpected winter rises of water, flooding holes, in which entire families can die. The surviving individuals are forced to flee on rafts, or urgently dig temporary holes in safe places. Desman, devoid of natural shelters, is in sight, which makes it accessible to birds of prey, raccoon dogs, foxes, gray rats and minks. It is in spring that the muskrat moves to neighboring water bodies, changing its habitual habitat, which it seeks nearby (maximum 5-6 km from its old home).
In the water, the Russian muskrat is in danger from zander, pike, catfish and large riverperch. In a dry summer period, the animal may not withstand a long transition to a more favorable place and die along the way. Even in one's own burrow, there is a danger of suffering from the hooves of wild herds, which easily damage burrows located near the surface.
Desman habitat is successfully shared with beavers, sometimes using their trenches and burrows. Mutual respect is clearly seen in the relationship of these animals. The fact was even noticed when the muskrat climbed onto the back of a resting beaver that the latter endured quite calmly.
See Russian desman
The closed way of life of the animal does not give a full opportunity to penetrate into its secrets, no matter how great the desire. It is very difficult to determine exactly where the Russian muskrat lives. Interesting facts were noticed by shepherds: in the places where the holes of this animal are located, cows refuse to drink water. The inhabited burrow of the muskrat gives out a persistent musky smell, because of which this animal was hunted until the middle of the 17th century. In Russia, dried desman tails were used to put linen in chests of drawers; a little later, the secret of musk glands was used in perfumery as a odor fixer for expensive perfumes.
A negative way on the existence of the muskratmassive illegal fishing with the use of steel nets and "electric nets", which destroy not only fish, but also aquatic invertebrates - the main food of the muskrat.
Poaching is the main danger for aquatic animals
The most valuable fur of the Russian muskrat has become the reason for poaching of this animal, which has a sad effect on its number. In 1835, 100,000 skins of this animal were taken to the fair in Nizhny Novgorod, in 1913 - 60,000. Predatory extermination of river animals took place over many centuries, so today the Russian desman (the Red Book confirms this fact) is found only in a few places declared protected areas. This is the basin of the Ural, Don, Volga, or rather certain sections of them. At the moment, according to expert estimates, the number of Russian desman is approximately 35,000 individuals.
Anthropogenic human activity is also the reason for the decrease in the number of animals; this is deforestation, building up the banks of water basins - the indigenous habitats of the muskrat, pollution of river waters by industrial waste, drainage of water bodies. Even the usual presence of a person on a pond is the reason why the Russian muskrat feels restless. The Red Book of Russia and Ukraine on its pages recorded the existing problem of the Russian muskrat population, for the rescue and preservation of which special reserves were created: Khopersky, Oksky, Klyazmensky.
