- Burrow
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 againstpredation 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 oftrace fossil .A wide variety of animals construct or use burrows in many different types of substrate.
Mammals are perhaps most well-known for burrowing, especiallyInsectivora like the voracious mole, androdent s like the prolific gopher andgroundhog . Therabbit , a member of the familyLagomorpha , is a well-known burrower. There are estimations that a single groundhog burrow occupies a full cubic meter, displacing 320 kilograms of dirt. EvenCarnivora like themeerkat andMarsupials like thekangaroo mouse are burrowers.Other examples of burrowing animals include a number of
fish ,amphibian s,reptiles (including smalldinosaur scite journal |last=Varricchio |first=David J. |coauthors=Martin, Anthony J.; and Katsura, Yoshihiro |year=2007 |title=First trace and body fossil evidence of a burrowing, denning dinosaur |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=274 |pages=1361–1368 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2006.0443 |url=http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/uj1k12wh01587821/fulltext.pdf |accessdate=2007-03-22 ] ), andbirds , as well as numerousinvertebrates includinginsect s,spiders ,sea urchins ,clams and worms.Burrows can be constructed into a wide variety of substrates. Kangaroo mice construct burrows in fine sand.
Termite s 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-developedrabbit warren.References
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