Burrow

For other uses, see Burrow (disambiguation)}}}.

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.

A wide variety of animals construct or use burrows in many different types of substrate. Rodents are perhaps most well-known for burrowing, especially the prolific gopher and groundhog (one expert estimates that a single groundhog burrow occupies a full cubic meter, displacing 320 kilograms of dirt). Other examples of burrowing animals include a number of insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, among many others.

Burrows can be constructed into a wide variety of substrates. Kangaroo mice construct burrows in fine sand. Termites construct burrows in wood. Some sea urchins can burrow into rock. Burrows can also range in complexity to 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.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.