10 Brilliant Burrowing Animals

Platypus

Platypuses are odd mammals: venomous, egg-laying, milk-sweating, with duck-like bills and no stomach; they burrow in multiple simple shelters across their habitat.

West African Lungfish

Not your typical fish, this lungfish can breathe air and encase itself in mucous to survive dry seasons in West Africa, waiting for rains to return.

Dung Beetle

Essential to ecosystems, dung beetles dig and bury dung, reducing disease, fertilizing plants, and supporting soil health; some species can lift over a thousand times their body weight.

Rat

Intelligent and social, rats form complex burrow colonies with interconnected tunnels and communal nesting areas; they are capable of remarkable cognitive functions.

Wolf Spider

Active hunters, wolf spiders often have females residing in burrows, carrying egg sacs and young on their backs, with excellent eyesight and unique behaviors.

Pangolin

Covered in protective keratin scales, pangolins dig large, multi-chambered burrows for themselves and their young; threatened by illegal trade due to myths about their scales'.

Mole Cricket

Mole crickets build burrows that amplify their loud calls, using them as natural sound horns to attract mates and communicate, showcasing unique acoustic engineering.

Naked Mole Rat

These rodents live in vast, underground colonies with social structures similar to ants; they're nearly cancer-resistant and capable of complex burrowing systems extending up to 3km.

Termite

Termites construct monumental mounds with sophisticated ventilation systems, creating climate-controlled environments that sustain large colonies and persist through multiple generations.

Ant

Ants, with their vast numbers and diverse roles, build complex, sprawling nests; they dominate ecosystems worldwide except Antarctica, displaying impressive organization and adaptability.

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