Groundhog burrows can damage farm machinery. Groundhog burrows can even undermine the foundations of buildings. Termites can do extensive damage to wooden structures and unprotected buildings. Once they have entered a building, they may destroy carpet, cloth, paper, and other materials containing cellulose , an organic compound found in plants that is the primary diet of termites. They can also be major agricultural pests, especially in Africa and Asia, where crop damage can be extensive.
Prairie-dog town s, one of the most familiar types of burrow networks, are often found on land where livestock graze. Black-tailed prairie dogs, native to the Great Plains of North America, create enormous networks of burrows, some stretching more than 64, square kilometers 25, square miles and containing about , prairie dogs.
Prairie dogs prefer to dig their burrows in short grasses, making livestock pastures an ideal location for towns. This puts livestock, such as cattle and sheep, at risk for injury. Some predators attracted to prairie-dog towns, such as coyotes and bobcats, may also threaten livestock. However, the prairie-dog diet mostly grasses encourages the growth of forb s, such as sunflowers and clover.
The abundance of forbs attracts animals such as bison—and provides more nutrient -rich fodder for livestock. In the 20th century, ranchers used poisons and hunting techniques to eradicate prairie-dog towns. The primary predator of the black-tailed prairie dog, the black-footed ferret, was almost driven to extinction. Injuries to livestock caused by prairie-dog towns still cost rancher s hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
The few prairie-dog towns that exist today are mostly in conservation areas and national park s. Fossil Burrows Burrows are one of the most common types of trace fossils, the preserved evidence of the presence or behavior of an ancient organism.
Trace fossils of clam burrows, preserved in rock, may help prove that a desert was once underwater. Warthog Warrens Fierce-looking warthogs are more often prey than predator on the African savanna. Warthog mothers use large networks of burrows to protect their piglets from lions, hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs.
Most predators stay away from the narrow burrows, for fear of a warthog mother's sharp tusks. RoboClam Scientists and engineers are currently experimenting with RoboClam, a robot that mimics the extraordinary digging ability of the razor clam. RoboClam could be used for smart anchors high-tech anchors that burrow through the ocean floor instead of sitting on top of it , tethers for robotic submarines, or detonators for underwater mines.
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Red fox kits huddled at den entrance. Bank vole emerging from its burrow entrance. A wild rat sniffing the air outside its burrow at the base of a tree.
Water vole in its hole. Eurasian badger emerging from its sett. Pocket gophers have sharp-clawed front paws, short fur, small eyes and ears and facial whiskers that help them move in the dark. They can close their lips behind their teeth to avoid getting dirt in their mouth when they use their teeth for digging.
Pocket gophers are active during the day and at night. They may cause damage in your yard and garden, where they eat garden crops, ornamental plants, shrubs and trees. They have brownish-gray, speckled fur with white along their backs. Ground squirrels are active only during the day. They forage for food near the entrance to their burrows. Ground squirrels damage many plants, including grains, nut and fruit trees, vegetables, shrubs and other trees. They may chew on plastic sprinkler heads and irrigation lines.
Prairie dogs are 14 to 17 inches long with reddish-tan fur, large eyes, short ears and broad, round heads. Prairie dogs were named because of the chirping barks they use to warn each other about predators. They live in the grasslands of central and western North America. Prairie dogs are social animals that live in families called coteries, consisting of one adult male prairie dog, a few adult females and their young offspring. Some prairie dogs, including the black-tailed prairie dog, live in colonies called towns.
Prairie dogs are active only during the day. They mostly eat grasses, flowering plants, roots and seeds but will also eat insects. Prairie dogs trim the tall grass surrounding their colony, probably so they can better see approaching predators. They can damage crops and pastures, and they can carry fleas that transmit the plague pathogens. You might not see them.
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