Burrow facts for kids
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A burrow is a hole or tunnel that an animal digs in the ground. Animals make burrows to live in, hide from danger, or raise their young. Some animals use burrows for a long time, while others only use them for a short visit. Many different kinds of animals are expert diggers!
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What is a Burrow?
A burrow is basically an underground home. Animals dig these tunnels using their claws, teeth, or even their whole bodies. Burrows can be simple, like a straight tunnel, or very complex, with many rooms and exits. They provide a safe place away from predators and bad weather.
Who Digs Burrows?
Lots of animals create burrows. Many mammals are known for their digging skills. These include moles, gophers, groundhogs, rabbits, and meerkats. Even the huge polar bear sometimes digs a den in the snow or ground for its cubs.
Other animals that make burrows are:
- Amphibians, like some frogs
- Fish, such as lungfish
- Crustaceans, like crabs and shrimp
- Reptiles, including some snakes and lizards
- Birds, like puffins and kingfishers
- Even some small dinosaurs are thought to have dug burrows!
- Insects, such as ants and termites
- Spiders, like trapdoor spiders
- Sea urchins and clams
- Worms, like earthworms
Different Kinds of Burrows
Burrows can be made in many different materials. Kangaroo mice dig their homes in soft sand. Termites create tunnels inside wood. Some sea urchins and clams can even dig into hard rock!
Burrows also come in all shapes and sizes. Some are just simple tubes a few centimeters long. Others are huge networks of tunnels and rooms that connect to each other, like a giant underground city.
Special Burrow Names
Sometimes, a burrow has a special name depending on the animal that made it. For example, a rabbit's burrow is often called a warren. A badger's home is known as a sett. These special names help us describe the unique homes of different animals.
Images for kids
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A black-tailed prairie dog, with young, emerges from its burrow
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Bird burrows on the Volga shore near Kstovo, Russia
See also
In Spanish: Madriguera para niños
