Animals that Burrow

Burrows made by animals serve several purposes. It can be a temporary or permanent refuge for them to stay in. A burrow can lead to a series of tunnels, which they may use for quick escapes. They benefit hibernating creatures, who can use them to store food and survive harsh winters. Animals living in deserts will escape the harsh sunlight by staying underground during the day.

While mammals like gophers, groundhogs, moles, etc., are known for digging burrows, they aren’t the only members of the animal kingdom to do so. Certain snakes will either dig their own holes or take over abandoned ones, while ants, earthworms, and termites often form colonies underground. Even birds like the burrowing owl and the Magellanic penguin prefer making burrows to constructing nests.

Animals that Burrow

List of Burrowing Animals

Mammals

  • Aardvark
  • American Badger
  • American Pika
  • Attwater’s Pocket Gopher
  • Bank Vole
  • Black-tailed Prairie Dog
  • Botta’s Pocket Gopher
  • Collared Pika
  • Common Otter
  • Common Wombat
  • Eastern Chipmunk
  • European Badger
  • European Mole
  • European Rabbit
  • European Water Vole
  • Fennec Fox
  • Ferret
  • Four-toed Jerboa
  • Giant Armadillo
  • Giant Pocket Gopher
  • Greater Bilby
  • Ground Pangolin
  • Groundhog
  • Gunnison’s Prairie Dog
  • Hairy-tailed Mole
  • House Mouse
  • Indian Gray Mongoose
  • Indian Pangolin
  • Japanese Badger
  • Japanese Weasel
  • Least Chipmunk
  • Least Weasel
  • Medog Mole
  • Meerkat
  • Merriam’s Pocket Gopher
  • Mexican Prairie Dog
  • Mongolian Gerbil
  • Muskrat
  • Naked Mole Rat
  • Nine-banded Armadillo
  • Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat
  • Northern Pocket Gopher
  • Palawan Stink Badger
  • Philippine Pangolin
  • Plains Pocket Gopher
  • Platypus
  • Polar Bear
  • Pyrenean Desman
  • Red Fox
  • Richardson’s Ground Squirrel
  • Russian Desman
  • Short-faced Mole
  • Siberian Chipmunk
  • Slender Mongoose
  • Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
  • Star-nosed Mole
  • Stoat
  • Utah Prairie Dog
  • White-tailed Mole
  • White-tailed Prairie Dog
  • Wyoming Ground Squirrel
  • Yellow Mongoose
  • Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher

Birds

Reptiles

Amphibians

  • Mexican Burrowing Toad

Invertebrates

  • Annual Cicada
  • Black-and-scarlet Cicada
  • Burrowing Urchin
  • Chorus Cicada
  • Cobalt Blue Tarantula
  • Earthworm
  • Formosan Termite
  • Funnel Web Spider
  • Ghost Shrimp
  • King Baboon Spider
  • Mouse Spider
  • Sand Dollar
  • Tropical Fire Ant
  • Western Desert Tarantula

FAQs

1. How do you identify burrows made by animals?

Burrows made by animals have tracks leading to and away from them. It is also very likely to spot droppings around animal-made burrows.

2. How do burrowing animals contribute to the soil?

As a result of these creatures constantly digging, the dirt gets mixed up. This maintains the health of the soil allowing for plants to grow.

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