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Fossorial animals

572 species

A fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees.

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Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant...

Groundhog

Marmota monax

The groundhog (Marmota monax) is a lowland rodent of North America. It was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. These adorable animals play an important role maintaining healthy soil in woodland and plain areas. They are...

Aardvark

Orycteropus afer

The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. Unlike most other insectivores, it has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food. It roams over most of the southern two-thirds of the...

Bush Rat

Rattus fuscipes

The bush rat (Rattus fuscipes) is a small Australian nocturnal animal. It is one of the most common indigenous species of rat on the continent, found in many heathland areas of Victoria and New South Wales.

American Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the genus Alligator, and is probably the largest species within its family...

Naked Mole-Rat

Heterocephalus glaber

The Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa. It is closely related to the blesmols. The Naked mole-rat exhibits a highly unusual set of physical and behavioral traits that allow it to thrive in a...

Brown Rat

Rattus norvegicus

The Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it weighs between 140 and 500 g (5 and 17+3⁄4 oz). Thought to have originated in northern China and neighboring areas, this rodent has now spread to...

Olm

Proteus anguinus

The olm or proteus (Proteus anguinus ) is an aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae, the only exclusively cave-dwelling chordate species found in Europe. In contrast to most amphibians, it is entirely aquatic, eating, sleeping, and breeding...

American Badger

Taxidea taxus

The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is a member of the Mustelidae, a diverse family of carnivorous mammals that also includes weasels, otters, ferrets, and the wolverine. It is similar in appearance to the European badger, although not closely...

Slowworm

Anguis fragilis

The Slow worm1 (Anguis fragilis) is a reptile native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, a slowworm, a blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple and hazelworm. These legless lizards are also sometimes called common slowworms. The...

Mongolian Gerbil

Meriones unguiculatus

The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) is a small burrowing rodent often used in science and kept as a small house pet. Their use in science dates back to the latter half of the 19th century but these small animals became popular as pets in...

Little Blue Penguin

Eudyptula minor

The Little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) is a species of penguin that is found in New Zealand. They are also commonly known as Blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage. They are also known by their Māori name kororā.

Tiger salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum

The tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum ) is a species of mole salamander and one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America.

Brahminy Blind Snake

Indotyphlops braminus

The Brahminy blind snake (Indotyphlops braminus) is a nonvenomous blind snake species found mostly in Africa and Asia. It has also been introduced in many other parts of the world. They are completely fossorial (i.e., burrowing) animals, with habits...

Eastern Hognose Snake

Heterodon platirhinos

The Eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platyrhinos) is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake found only in North America. Its teeth inject a mild amphibian-specific venom into prey and also are used to "pop" inflated toads like a balloon to...

Desert Tortoise

Gopherus agassizii

The Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), is a species of tortoise native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Desert tortoises grow slowly and live about 50 to 80 years. They can tolerate water, salt, and energy imbalances on...

Syrian Hamster

Mesocricetus auratus

The Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a small rodent belonging to the hamster subfamily, Cricetinae. In 1930, Professor Aharoni captured a female Syrian hamster (otherwise called Golden or Teddy bear hamster) with her twelve pups in Aleppo...

Nine-Banded Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

The Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America. This makes it the most widespread of the armadillos. Its ancestors originated in South America and remained there until the formation of the...

Saharan Horned Viper

Cerastes cerastes

The Saharan horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) is a venomous species of viper native to northern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Levant. It often is easily recognized by the presence of a pair of supraocular "horns", although hornless...

Numbat

Myrmecobius fasciatus

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is an insectivorous marsupial that was once widespread across southern Australia, but is now restricted to several small colonies in Western Australia. It is therefore considered an endangered species and protected...

Star-Nosed Mole

Condylura cristata

The Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a small mole found in moist, low areas in the northern parts of North America. It is the only member of the tribe having a touch organ with more than 25,000-minute sensory receptors, known as Eimer's...

Chinese giant salamander

Andrias davidianus

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus ) is one of the largest salamanders and one of the largest amphibians in the world. It is fully aquatic and is endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in the Yangtze river basin of central China....

Gopher Tortoise

Gopherus polyphemus

The Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is one of a group of North American land tortoises that originated 60 million years ago, and is, therefore, one of the oldest species alive today. They are named for their ability to dig big, deep burrows....

Gopher Snake

Pituophis catenifer

The Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to North America. This snake is often mistaken for the Prairie rattlesnake but can be easily distinguished from a rattlesnake by the lack of black and white...

European Hedgehog

Erinaceus europaeus

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is a hedgehog species native to Europe. It is a generally common and widely distributed species that can survive across a wide range of habitat types. It is a well-known species, and a favorite in European...

Djungarian Hamster

Phodopus sungorus

The Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) is one of three species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It is ball-shaped and typically half the size of the Syrian hamster, so is called a dwarf hamster along with all Phodopus species. As winter...

Pink Fairy Armadillo

Chlamyphorus truncatus

The Pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) is the smallest species of armadillo first described by Richard Harlan in 1825. It is the only armadillo that has a dorsal shell that is almost completely separate from the body. This solitary,...

Yellow-Bellied Marmot

Marmota flaviventris

The Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) is a large, stout-bodied ground squirrel in the marmot genus. It is one of fourteen species of marmots and is native to mountainous regions of North America. They live in burrows in colonies and...

Degu

Octodon degus

The degu (Octodon degus) is a small rodent found only in Chile. The closest relatives of these highly social and curious animals are chinchilla and guinea pig.

Spotted salamander

Ambystoma maculatum

The spotted salamander or yellow-spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum ) is a mole salamander common in eastern United States and Canada. The spotted salamander is the state amphibian of Ohio and South Carolina. This salamander ranges from Nova...

Giant Armadillo

Priodontes maximus

The Giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest living species of armadillo that lives in South America. It prefers termites and some ants as prey and often consumes the entire population of a termite mound. This species is considered...

Short-Beaked Echidna

Tachyglossus aculeatus

The Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is one of four living species of echidna. It is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snout and a specialized tongue, which it uses to catch its insect prey at a great speed. The...

Nile Monitor

Varanus niloticus

The Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) is a large member of the monitor family (Varanidae) found throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa and along the Nile. It is one of the largest lizards in the world reaching and even surpassing the perentie by size....

Giant Pangolin

Smutsia gigantea

The Giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) is the biggest and the rarest of the African species of pangolin. It looks like an armored animal and behaves in the secretive manner of a spy. Its footprints look the same as a small elephant’s. This unusual...

Scarlet Kingsnake

Lampropeltis elapsoides

The Scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) is a nonvenomous species of kingsnake found in the United States. Until recently, and for much of the 20th century, Scarlet kingsnakes were considered a subspecies of the Milk snake; however, Pyron and...

Mountain Beaver

Aplodontia rufa

The Mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa) is a rodent from North America. It should not be confused with true North American and Eurasian beavers, to which it is not closely related; instead its closest relatives are squirrels.

Eastern Pine Snake

Pituophis melanoleucus

The Eastern pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) is a nonvenomous snake found only in the southeastern United States. It gets its Latin name from "melano" meaning black and "leucos" which means white. This is in reference to its black and white body.

Eastern Coral Snake

Micrurus fulvius

The Eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) is a highly venomous snake native to the southeastern United States. It should not be confused with the Scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea ) or Scarlet kingsnake, which are harmless mimics. People who live...

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

Cynomys ludovicianus

The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus ) is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the United States-Canada border to the United States-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these...

Ground Pangolin

Smutsia temminckii

The Ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) is an unusual animal that belongs to a group of pangolins which are among the most critically endangered and illegally trafficked animals in the world. They are armor-plated, distinguished from other mammals...

Northern Short-Tailed Shrew

Blarina brevicauda

The Northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) is the largest shrew in its genus and occurs in the northeastern region of North America. It is a highly active, and voracious insectivore. It is notable in that it is one of the few venomous...

Smooth-Coated Otter

Lutrogale perspicillata

The Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is an otter species found in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. As its name indicates, its fur is smooth and shorter than that of other otter species.

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