Definition of "desman"

Unlike the Russian desman, the Pyrenean species lives along fast-flowing mountain streams.

1995, R. David Stone, editor, Eurasian Insectivores and Tree Shrews: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, page 50

Restricted to the Old World, desmans have a diet consisting of aquatic invertebrates and fish.

2007, George A. Feldhamer, Lee C. Drickamer, Stephen H. Vessey, Joseph F. Merritt, Carey Krajewski, Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology, 3rd edition, page 250

With the aid of its Eimer's organs, the desman was able to detect engraved lines only one-fifteenth of a millimeter (0.067 mm, or 0.002 inches) in depth and width. There are two extant species of desmans: the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus), weighing about 65 g (2.3 oz) (fig 2.10), and the larger Russian desman (Desmana moschata), weighing 500 g (17.6 oz).

2010, Joseph F. Merritt, The Biology of Small Mammals, page 38