Fossorial | EPFL Graph Search

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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, bees and spiders. The physical adaptation of fossoriality is widely accepted as being widespread among many prehistoric phyla and taxa, such as bacteria and early eukaryotes. Furthermore, fossoriality has evolved independently multiple times, even within a single family. Fossorial animals appeared simultaneously with the colonization of land by arthropods in the late Ordovician period (over 440 million years ago). Other notable early burrowers include Eocaecilia and possibly Dinilysia. The oldest example of burrowing in synapsids, the lineage which includes modern mammals and their ancestors, is a cynodont, Thrinaxodon liorhinus, found in the Karoo of South Africa, estimated to be 251 million years old. Evidence shows that this adaptation occurred due to dramatic mass extinctions in the Permian period. There are six major external modifications, as described by H. W. Shimer in 1903, that are shared in all mammalian burrowing species: Fusiform, a spindle-shaped body tapering at both ends, adapted for the dense subsurface environment. Lesser developed or missing eyesight, considering subsurface darkness. Small or missing external ears, to reduce naturally occurring friction during burrowing. Short and stout limbs, since swiftness or speed of movement is less important than the strength to dig. Broad and stout forelimbs (manus), including long claws, designed to loosen the burrowing material for the hind feet to disperse in the back. This trait is disputed by Jorge Cubo, who states that the skull is the main tool during excavation, but that the most active parts are the forelimbs for digging and that the hind-limbs are used for stability. Short or missing tail, which has little to no locomotor activity or burrowing use to most fossorial mammals.

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Fossorial