Communal burrow

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Communal burrow refers to the habitat built by some species of mammals as a community habitat. There are some species that build burrows, but not communal burrows; and there are some species that live in communal groups, but do not construct burrows or any other type of habitat.

Contents

Overview

A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements and can be found in nearly every biome and among various biological interactions. Many different animal species are known to form burrows. These species range from small invertebrates, such as the Corophium arenarium , [1] to very large vertebrate species such as the polar bear. [2] Burrows can be constructed into a wide variety of substrates and can range in complexity from a simple tube a few centimeters long to a complex network of interconnecting tunnels and chambers hundreds or thousands of meters in total length. An example of this well-developed burrow would be a rabbit warren.

Types of burrows

An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow Chipmunk-burrow (exits).jpg
An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow

Animals can create burrows using a variety of methods. Burrowing animals can be divided into three categories: primary excavators, secondary modifiers and simple occupants. [3] Primary excavators are the animals that originally dig and construct the burrow, and are generally very strong. [4] Some animals considered to be primary excavators are the prairie dog and the aardvark. [4] Pygmy gerbil are an example of secondary modifiers, as they do not build an original burrow, but will live inside a burrow made by other animals and improve or change some aspects of the burrow for their own purpose. [4] The third category, simple occupants, neither build nor modify the burrow but simply live inside or use it for their own purpose. [4] Some species of Bird will actually make use of burrows built by tortoises, which is an example of simple occupancy. [4] These animals can also be referred to as commensals. [4]

Specific species

Common degus

Common degus are highly social. They live in burrows, and, by digging communally, they are able to construct larger and more elaborate burrows than they could on their own. [5] Degus digging together coordinate their activities, forming digging chains. [6] Females living in the same group have been shown to spontaneously nest communally; [7] [8] they nurse one another's young. They spend a large amount of time on the surface, where they forage for food. [6] When foraging, their ability to detect predators is increased in larger groups, [9] and each animal needs to spend less time in vigilance.

Common degus exhibit a wide array of communication techniques. They have an elaborate vocal repertoire comprising up to 15 different sounds, [10] and the young need to be able to hear their mother's calls if the emotional systems in their brains are to develop properly. [11] They use their urine to scent mark, [12] and experiments have shown that they react to one another's marks, [13] although in males the hormone testosterone may suppress their sense of smell somewhat. [14]

Male degu keeping newborn pups warm Degu father.JPG
Male degu keeping newborn pups warm

Common degus are seasonal breeders; the breeding season for wild degus begins in the Chilean autumn when day and night are roughly equal, [15] with pups born in early to mid-spring. [16]

Common degu pups are born relatively precocial, fully furred and with eyes open, and their auditory and visual systems are functional at birth. [17] Unlike most other rodents, male common degus also take part in protecting and raising their pups until they are old enough to leave the family. [18]

Plains viscacha

Plains viscacha live in communal burrow systems in groups containing one or more males, several females, and immatures. Viscachas forage in groups at night and aggregate underground during the day. All members of a group use burrows throughout the communal burrow system and participate in digging at the burrows. Alarm calls are given primarily by adult males. The long-term social unit of the plains viscacha is the female group. Resident males disappear each year and new males join groups of females. Viscachas live in colonies that range from a few individuals to hundreds. To keep up with the colony chatter, they have acquired an impressive repertoire of vocalizations that are used in social interactions. Dominance is absent among females. [19] Members of a social group share a common foraging area around the communal burrow system, and feed on a variety of grasses and forbs, occasionally browsing on low shrubs. [20] They collect branches and heavy objects to cover the burrow entrance. When they live close to human settlements, tend to hoard brooms, tables, garden tools, firewood, trinkets, pieces of concrete, and many human-made objects to cover the burrow.

Daurian pikas

Daurian pikas have been observed sharing burrows with several other mammal species. They occasionally “visit” burrows of Altai marmots and Mongolian pikas. In turn, their burrows are visited by ground squirrels, and sometimes by burrowing birds. Due to low competition and predation rates, the limiting factor on Daurian pika populations is winter. [21]

Prairie dogs

Prairie dog family Tarsas prerikutya 4.jpg
Prairie dog family

Highly social, prairie dogs live in large colonies or "towns" and collections of prairie dog families that can span hundreds of acres. The prairie dog family groups are the most basic units of its society. Members of a family group inhabit the same territory. Family groups of black-tailed and Mexican prairie dogs are called "coteries", while "clans" are used to describe family groups of white-tailed, Gunnison’s, and Utah prairie dogs. Although these two family groups are similar, coteries tend to be more closely knit than clans. Members of a family group interact through oral contact or "kissing" and grooming one another. They do not perform these behaviors with prairie dogs from other family groups.

A pair of prairie dogs Kissing Prairie dog edit 3.jpg
A pair of prairie dogs

A prairie dog town may contain 15–26 family groups. There may also be subgroups within a town, called "wards", which are separated by a physical barrier. Family groups exist within these wards. Most prairie dog family groups are made up of one adult breeding male, two to three adult females and one to two male offspring and one to two female offspring. Females remain in their natal groups for life and are thus the source of stability in the groups. Males leave their natal groups when they mature to find another family group to defend and breed in. Some family groups contain more breeding females than one male can control, so have more than one breeding adult male in them. Among these multiple-male groups, some may contain males that have friendly relationships, but the majority contain males that have largely antagonistic relationships. In the former, the males tend to be related, while in the latter, they tend not to be related. Two to three groups of females may be controlled by one male. However, among these female groups, there are no friendly relations.

The average prairie dog territory takes up 0.05–1.01 hectares (0.12–2.50 acres). Territories have well-established borders that coincide with physical barriers such as rocks and trees. The resident male of a territory defends it and antagonistic behavior will occur between two males of different families to defend their territories. These interactions may happen 20 times per day and last five minutes. When two prairie dogs encounter each other at the edges of their territories, they will start staring, make bluff charges, flare their tails, chatter their teeth, and sniff each other's perianal scent glands. When fighting, prairie dogs will bite, kick and ram each other. If their competitor is around their size or smaller, the females will participate in fighting. Otherwise, if a competitor is sighted, the females signal for the resident male.

Pygmy rabbits

Pygmy rabbits are normally found in areas on deep soils with tall, dense sagebrush which they use for shelter and food. [22] [23] [24] Individual sagebrush plants in areas inhabited by pygmy rabbits are often 6 feet (1.8 m) or more in height. [24] Extensive, well-used runways interlace the sage thickets and provide travel and escape routes. [22] Dense stands of big sagebrush along streams, roads, and fencerows provide dispersal corridors for pygmy rabbits. [25]

The pygmy rabbit is the only leporid native to North America that digs burrows. [26] [27] Juveniles use burrows more than other age groups. Early reproductive activities of adults may be concentrated at burrows. [22] When pygmy rabbits can utilize sagebrush cover, burrow use is decreased. Pygmy rabbits use burrows more in the winter for thermal cover than at other times of the year. [28]

Burrows are usually located on slopes at the base of sagebrush plants, and face north to east. Tunnels widen below the surface, forming chambers, and extend to a maximum depth of about 1 meter (3.3 ft). Burrows typically have 4 or 5 entrances but may have as few as 2 or as many as 10. [22] In Oregon, pygmy rabbits inhabited areas where soils were significantly deeper and looser than soils at adjacent sites. Site selection was probably related to ease of excavation of burrows. [25] In areas where soil is shallow pygmy rabbits live in holes among volcanic rocks, in stone walls, around abandoned buildings, and in burrows made by badgers (Taxidea taxus) and marmots (Marmota flaviventris). [22] [23]

Some researchers have found that pygmy rabbits never venture farther than 60 feet (18 m) from their burrows. [23] However, Bradfield [23] observed pygmy rabbits range up to 100 meters (330 ft) from their burrows.

Some areas inhabited by pygmy rabbits are covered with several feet of snow for up to 2 or more months during the winter. During periods when the snow has covered most of the sagebrush, pygmy rabbits tunnel beneath the snow to find food. Snow tunnels are approximately the same height and width as burrows. They are quite extensive and extend from one sagebrush to another. [22] [23] Above ground movement during the winter months is restricted to these tunnel systems. [23]

See also


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie dog</span> Genus of ground squirrels

Prairie dogs are herbivorous burrowing ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. Within the genus are five species: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. In Mexico, prairie dogs are found primarily in the northern states, which lie at the southern end of the Great Plains: northeastern Sonora, north and northeastern Chihuahua, northern Coahuila, northern Nuevo León, and northern Tamaulipas. In the United States, they range primarily to the west of the Mississippi River, though they have also been introduced in a few eastern locales. They are also found in the Canadian Prairies. Despite the name, they are not actually canines; prairie dogs, along with the marmots, chipmunks, and several other basal genera belong to the ground squirrels, part of the larger squirrel family (Sciuridae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leporidae</span> Family of lagomorphs

Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 70 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word Leporidae means "those that resemble lepus" (hare). Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha. Leporidae differ from pikas in that they have short, furry tails and elongated ears and hind legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common degu</span> Species of rodent (Octodon degus)

The common degu, or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name degu on its own indicates either the entire genus Octodon or, more commonly, just the common degu. Common degus belong to the parvorder Caviomorpha of the infraorder Hystricognathi, along with the chinchilla and guinea pig. The word degu comes from the indigenous language of Chile, Mapudungun, and the word dewü, meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vole</span> Type of small omnivorous rodent

Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat sand rat</span> Species of mammals belonging to the mouse and rat family and to the gerbil subfamily of rodents

The fat sand rat is a terrestrial mammal from the gerbil subfamily that is mostly found in North Africa and the Middle East, ranging from Mauritania to the Arabian Peninsula. This species usually lives in sandy deserts, but may also be found in rocky terrain or saline marsh areas. Fat sand rats are very selective in their diet, only eating stems and leaves of plants from the family Amaranthaceae, more commonly known as the amaranth family. In captivity, fat sand rats can become obese and rapidly develop diabetes-like symptoms when fed the diet typically given to other rodents. P. obesus has an average lifespan of 14 months in the wild and 3–4 years in captivity.

<i>Octodon</i> Genus of rodents

Octodon is a genus of octodontid rodents native to South America, in particular in the Chilean Andes. The best-known member is the common degu, O. degus, which is kept as a pet in various countries. Two of the four species of degus are nocturnal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burrow</span> Underground animal home dug in soft dirt

A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, and can be found in nearly every biome and among various biological interactions. Many animal species are known to form burrows. These species range from small invertebrates, such as the Corophium arenarium, to very large vertebrate species such as the polar bear. Burrows can be constructed into a wide variety of substrates and can range in complexity from a simple tube a few centimeters long to a complex network of interconnecting tunnels and chambers hundreds or thousands of meters in total length; an example of the latter level of complexity, a well-developed burrow, would be a rabbit warren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy rabbit</span> Species of mammal

The pygmy rabbit is a rabbit species native to the United States. It is also the only native rabbit species in North America to dig its own burrow. The pygmy rabbit differs significantly from species within either the Lepus (hare) or Sylvilagus (cottontail) genera and is generally considered to be within the monotypic genus Brachylagus. One isolated population, the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Federal government, though the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as lower risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tailed prairie dog</span> Species of rodent

The black-tailed prairie dog is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the United States-Canada border to the United States-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen above ground in midwinter. A black-tailed prairie dog town in Texas was reported to cover 25,000 sq mi (64,000 km2) and included 400,000,000 individuals. Prior to habitat destruction, the species may have been the most abundant prairie dog in central North America. It was one of two prairie dogs described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the journals and diaries of their expedition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah prairie dog</span> Species of rodent

The Utah prairie dog is the smallest species of prairie dog endemic to the south-central steppes of the American state of Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunnison's prairie dog</span> Species of rodent

Gunnison's prairie dog is one of five species of prairie dog. This species belongs to the squirrel family of rodents, and are predominantly related to the North American and Eurasian ground squirrels. Gunnison's prairie dogs are primarily distributed in the Four Corners region of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malagasy giant rat</span> Species of rodent

The Malagasy giant rat, also known as the votsotsa or votsovotsa, is a nesomyid rodent found only in the Menabe region of Madagascar. It is an endangered species due to habitat loss, slow reproduction, and limited range Pairs are monogamous and females bear only one or two young per year. It is the only extant species in the genus Hypogeomys; another species, Hypogeomys australis, is known from subfossil remains a few thousand years old.

The common yellow-toothed cavy is a species of rodent in the family Caviidae, closely related to the domesticated guinea pig. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Its karyotype has 2n = 68 and FN = 136. G. musteloides is the most common and widely found member of Galea, and is present at elevations ranging from 20 to 5000 m above sea level. It has yellow teeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains viscacha</span> Species of rodent

The plains viscacha or plains vizcacha is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae. It is the only living species within the genus Lagostomus. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The plains viscacha is the largest species in its family. They construct elaborate burrows that house successive colonies for decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nesting instinct</span> Instinct in pregnant animals related to estradiol

Nesting behavior refers to an instinct in animals during reproduction to prepare a place with optimal conditions for offspring. The nesting place provides protection against predators and competitors that mean to exploit or kill offspring. It also provides protection against the physical environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octodontidae</span> Family of rodents

Octodontidae is a family of rodents, restricted to southwestern South America. Fourteen species of octodontid are recognised, arranged in seven genera. The best known species is the common degu, Octodon degus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodent</span> Order of mammals

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dust bathing</span> Animal behavior

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infanticide in rodents</span> Termination or consumption of newborn rodents by the parent or another rodent

Infanticide is the termination of a neonate after it has been born, and in zoology this is often the termination or consumption of newborn animals by either a parent or an unrelated adult. In rodents, it is not uncommon for the mother to commit infanticide shortly after parturition under conditions of extreme stress, or for an unrelated male to kill neonates.

Ricardo Ojeda's degu is a species of rodent in the family Octodontidae. It is found in a small portion of eastern Chile and western Argentina, being the only degu found outside of Chile. It was named after Argentine mammalogist Ricardo Ojeda.

References

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