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BBC Wildlife magazine's guide to common animal burrows and holes found in the British wintertime.
- Bugs Bunny
- European Rabbit
- Red Fox
- Groundhog
- Common Otter
- Badger
- Fennec Fox
- Mole
- Mongoose
- Shrew
Bugs Bunny, a popular Warner Bros. cartoon is a young, clever rabbit who lives in a fully-furnished burrow. There’s almost no class in the animal kingdom that doesn’t include burrowing animals. The burrowing lifestyle is popular among different classes of animals which include mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, insects, and rodents. An even broa...
European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) belong to southwestern Europe and are infamous for their destructive behavior. They eat shrubs in orchards and forests causing heavy loss of vegetation and biodiversity. Rabbits are also domesticated widely across the world, either for food or as pets. Quick Fact:In 1907, an attempt (not successful) to const...
Red foxes dig their burrows in areas like mountain slopes, ditches, depressions, steep water banks, etc. They prefer a well-drained spot to dig a burrow. A red fox’s burrow is made up of a main den and temporary dugouts. Quick Fact:Although they’re called red foxes, they occur in colors more than red which include, gray, blackish-brown, silver, pla...
Groundhogs tend to build their dens in farms, fruit orchards, and corn fields; technically places which consist of small flowering trees or bushes. A den has four to five holes connected to a main tunnel, which leads further to a 3-4 ft. deep den. Quick Fact:Groundhogs are known to practice proper hygiene by building separate holes to defecate.
River otters, being semi-aquatic, prefer their dens to be close to water. They choose dens constructed by other animals or dig in natural hollows to live in. Quick Fact:River otters are killed mostly for their thick and lustrous fur, which is used to make jackets and coats.
Badgers are nocturnal mammals who dig complex networks of underground tunnels connecting to their respective dens. They have a long black and white snout, and sharp claws required to dig. Their preferred habitats are sandy, loamy soils which ideally have easy access to freshwater and prey. Quick Fact:A white stripe extends from the badger’s nose co...
Unlike red foxes, a fennec fox digs its burrow under sheltered and stable sand dunes. They are native to the Sahara of North Africa, which is somewhat evident from their habitat and are a comparatively small species of foxes. They are known to show a typical neighborly behavior by adjoining their dens with those of other foxes, and thus coexist in ...
Moles are small mammals with a pointed conical snout, velvety fur, and unnoticeable eyes and ears. Their forelimbs have large paws with pointed fingers which help them dig efficiently. They feed on earthworms and other small, soil-dwelling invertebrates. A mole is known to heap soil and create a hill surrounding the entrance of the den. Quick Fact:...
The mongoose is, technically, a collective name for 38 different species. Mongooses build and also use already existing burrows for their habitat needs. Quick Fact:In the Indian subcontinent, mongooses are tamed by snake charmers for mock fights with snakes to impress the audience.
The common shrew is native to Britain and exists commonly in scrubland, grassland, hedgerows, and woodland. Shrews mostly occupy burrows dug by other animals and surface every 2-3 hours to feed themselves. Shrews feed on insects, spiders, worms, amphibians, and small rodents. Quick Fact:Shrews are known to shrink in winter, due to which they requir...
May 13, 2024 · For example, if you find the hole is very small, say about the width of your finger, you can rule out larger mammals like groundhogs or raccoons, which wouldn’t fit inside. In general, smaller animals (like squirrels) burrow in holes 3 in (7.6 cm) and smaller, whereas medium animals will be around 3–12 in (7.6–30.5 cm).
- Aardvark. Orycteropus afer. Mammal. Size. Up to 52 inches. Habitat. Africa. This animal with a very long nose is native to parts of Africa.
- Ants. Formicidae. Insect. Size. Up to 2 inches. Habitat. Forests, underground. When we talk about animals that burrow underground we must not forget about the ants.
- Australian Funnel Web Spiders. Atracidae. Arachnid. Venom. High. Size. Up to 2 inches. Habitat. Various. The funnel-web spider is one of the most dangerous spider species in the world.
- Black-Tailed Prairie Dog. Cynomys ludovicianus. Mammal. Size. Up to 17 inches. Habitat. Grasslands. The black-tailed prairie dog is a rodent that creates burrows into the ground.
- Platypus. Platypuses can only be found in freshwater and brackish estuaries in eastern Australia. They have the bill of a duck, a tail like a beaver, feet like an otter, and lay eggs—but they're still mammals.
- House Mouse. While there are 38 species of mice (Mus genus) on the planet, the most common is the house mouse. When living outdoors, they create burrows in the earth and line them with dry grass, but they will also burrow in found spots.
- Pangolin. The eight species of pangolin are found on two continents, and all of them are under threat, ranging from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List.
- Funnel Web Spider. The funnel web spider is found in eastern Australia. It is known to build a characteristic funnel-shaped web that radiates out from its burrow.
Turns out, other animals have been doing it for ages, and for some of the same reasons. There is a whole domain beneath the soil that we as surface-dwellers aren’t privy to. Here are ten of the best examples of brilliant burrowing animals.
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1. Badger. A badger was looking at its prey | image by caroline legg via Flickr | CC BY 2.0. Badgers are a type of animal that burrows in the ground. They are usually found in wooded areas, and their diet consists of small mammals and insects. 2. Worm Snake. Eastern wormsnake | image by Peter Paplanus via Flickr | CC BY 2.0.
