Definitions

Fossorial

Fossorial

[fo-sawr-ee-uhl, -sohr-]
A fossorial is an organism adapted to digging and life underground such as the badger, the naked mole rat, and the mole salamanders Ambystomatidae. It is most commonly used as an adjective to describe the habit of living underground, even if the physical adaptations are minimal - thus, most bees and many wasps are called "fossorial Hymenoptera", and a great many rodents are considered fossorial. Some organisms are fossorial to aid in temperature regulation, while others utilize the new habit for food.

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