A
burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground
by an
animal to create a space suitable for
habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of
locomotion. Burrows provide a form of
shelter against
predation and exposure to
the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among
the animals. Burrows are also commonly preserved in the fossil
record as a type of
trace fossil.
Examples
Examples of burrowing animals include a number of
frogs,
amphibians,
reptiles (including small
dinosaurs), and
birds, as well
as numerous
invertebrates including
insects,
spiders,
sea urchins,
crustaceans,
clams and
worms.
A wide variety of animals construct or use burrows in many
different types of substrate.
Mammals are
perhaps most well-known for burrowing, especially
Insectivora like the voracious
mole, and
rodents like
the prolific
gopher and
groundhog. The
rabbit, a
member of the family
Lagomorpha, is a
well-known burrower. There are estimations that a single groundhog
burrow occupies a full cubic meter, displacing 320 kilograms of
dirt. Even
Carnivora like the
meerkat and
Marsupials are
burrowers.
Burrows by birds are usually made in soft soils; some penguins and
other
pelagic seabirds are noted for such
burrows.
The Magellanic
Penguin is an example of such a burrow constructor, making
burrows along coastal Patagonian regions
of Chile
and Argentina
.
Burrows can be constructed into a wide variety of substrates.
Kangaroo mice construct burrows in fine sand.
Scabies mites construct their burrows in the skin of
the infested animal or human.
Termites
construct burrows in wood. Some sea urchins and clams can burrow
into rock. Burrows can also range in complexity from a simple tube
a few centimeters long to a complex network of interconnecting
tunnels and chambers hundreds or thousands of meters in total
length, such as a well-developed
rabbit
warren.
See also
References
- C. Michael Hogan, (2008) Polar Bear: Ursus maritimus,
Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg