Wildlife
Burrowing, or fossorial, animals live underground and for a variety of reasons. For some it is so they can feed on soil flora and fauna, for others it's to avoid predators or to hide away from the extremes of climate above ground. So, a British mole avoids the worst of the winter cold in its tunnels, whilst a naked mole rat in Africa gets protection from the heat. Both have some protection from roaming predators.
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Polecat kittens
Polecat kittens in their underground dens.
In late spring, polecat kittens are born in underground dens which they won't leave until late May when they are two months old. Despite the reputation for smelling like skunks, female polecats are fastidious cleaners and the family groups are very social.
Gopher tortoise burrows
Tortoise engineers keep their cool in a bush fire.
The burrows of the gopher tortoise are a vital refuge for both it and many other species at risk from the mid-day heat and recurrent bush fires. With a very simple piece of technology - a remote controlled car loaded with a mini-camera, lights and thermometer, Sir David follows a tortoise into its burrow, revealing just why the gopher tortoise's digging expertise is so highly valued.
Snake evolution
The first snakes probably resembled the flowerpot snake.
The first snakes probably resembled the flowerpot snake.
Prime Patagonia
Underground dwellings in windswept Patagonia require constant guarding from squatters.
Underground dwellings in windswept Patagonia require constant guarding from squatters.
Nosing around
The star-nosed mole's weird nose reads the underground world like Braille.
The star-nosed mole's weird nose reads the underground world like Braille.
Long-eared hedgehog
Aardvark
Crest-tailed mulgara
Tasmanian devil
Platypus
Armadillos
American mink
Badger
Ethiopian wolf
Meerkat
Tibetan fox
Warthog
Mountain hare
Plateau pika
Arctic ground squirrel
Bank vole
Black-tailed prairie dog
Brants's whistling rat
Brown rat
Damaraland mole rat
Field vole
Gunnison's prairie dog
Himalayan marmot
Mole rats
Naked mole rat
Patagonian mara
Prairie dogs
Wood mouse
Mole
Moles and desmans
Star-nosed mole
Humboldt penguin
Magellanic penguin
Kingfisher
Pied kingfisher
Southern carmine bee-eater
White-fronted bee-eater
North Island brown kiwi
Burrowing owl
Burrowing parrot
Kea
Sand martin
Puffin
Shearwaters
Storm petrel
American crocodile
Chinese alligator
Galápagos land iguana
Labord's chameleon
Perentie
Sand goanna
Sand lizard
Slow worm
Thorny devil
Tibetan spring snake
Water monitor
Eastern box turtle
Gopher tortoiseA fossorial organism is one that is adapted to digging and life underground such as the badger, the naked mole rat, and the mole salamanders Ambystomatidae. It is an adjective most commonly used 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 underground habitat for protection from predators or food storage.
An animal is said to be subfossorial if it shows limited adaptations to a fossorial lifestyle.
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Mountain chicken
Natterjack toad 
Black garden ant
Yellow meadow ant
Scorpions
Goliath bird-eating spider
Trapdoor spiders
Earthworms