The Pyrenean desman is a small mammal of mountain streams. It uses its long, mobile snout to find small aquatic animals on the streambed.
It has a long, mobile snout and webbed feet. Its waterproof coat is gray-brown above and silvery white underneath.
The Pyrenean desman is a semi-aquatic mammal of the Iberian Peninsula. In a northwestern Iberian study, researchers compared mitochondrial DNA from non-invasive samples with distances along rivers and across land. Overland movement better explained patterns across the full study area and a large basin; in a smaller basin with suitable habitat, both river and land routes mattered.
The two genetic clades overlapped only in the Porma River and its Curueño tributary. The authors therefore recommend protecting not just rivers and upland streams, but also land corridors between basins. The results reflect ancient mitochondrial patterns, however, and do not map current movements or establish the same routes throughout the species range.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The northwestern Iberian genetic study suggests that movement between river basins shaped the species history and recommends protecting rivers, upland streams and land corridors together. Forest, scrub, wetlands and mountain pasture near watershed divides may also support inter-basin movement. The study area has relatively connected mountain systems, and ancient mitochondrial DNA cannot identify present-day routes. It does not assess the full range or provide a current formal conservation category.