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.

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

Atlantic Puffin
Burrowing Owl
Common Kingfisher
Magellanic Penguin

Reptiles

Desert Tortoise
Slow Worm

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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