This episode of SciShow Kids is made
in partnership with our friends at Soil Cycle.
[intro ]
Hi Everyone!
I’m so excited—my new gloves came today.
What do you think, Squeaks?
[Squeaks squeaks.]
They do look like monster hands, don’t they?
But I bought these gloves as tools for gardening.
The hard claws on the fingers will help me to dig through the dirt.
I bet with these, I could even dig a tunnel under The Fort
and make myself a little den to hang out in!
You know, a lot of creatures spend some, or even all of their life like that—
below the ground, in what scientists call subterranean habitats.
[Squeaks squeaks?]
Good question, Squeaks!
There are lots of good reasons to live underground.
Like, there are tons of different things to eat,
like roots, mushrooms, worms and bugs...
even dead things!
And, it can be safer.
Smaller animals can hide out in tunnels
or caves that larger animals can’t fit into.
Plus, if the weather’s bad or really hot or cold, they’re basically already indoors!
Sometimes even people build homes underground because it’s more comfortable!
[Squeaks squeaks?]
Yeah, it can be a bit tough to get through all of that dirt and rock—
especially when you don’t have a shovel.
But, if you look at animals that spend a lot of time underground,
you’ll see they do have other tools that help them get around.
What sorts of tools do you think they might use, Squeaks?
[Squeaks squeaks.]
That’s right!
Many subterranean animals use strong claws kind of like these to dig.
Check out the claws on this Pink Fairy Armadillo, for example.
They’re huge!
The armadillo can use them to tunnel through the dirt
and look for the ants it eats.
And those big, flat paws are kind of like having shovels for hands!
Which is perfect for a life spent digging.
Other animals, like this pocket gopher,
have big front teeth that go out past their lips that they can use to bite at the dirt
and loosen it up.
By slowly nibbling away at soil,
they can build a whole system of burrows, or tunnels, that connect together underground!
Paws, claws, and teeth that act like tools are all adaptations:
special traits that help these animals survive where they live.
And subterranean animals have all sorts of cool adaptations for living below ground.
Let’s look at that Pink Fairy Armadillo again.
What do you notice about its structure, or shape, Squeaks?
[Squeaks squeaks.]
Exactly!
It has very short legs, a really pointed head,
and a long body that reminds me of a roll of paper towels.
This tube-like structure has a special name: it’s called a fusiform body shape,
and its function, or job, is to help the armadillo move quickly through tunnels.
We actually saw some fusiform animals out in the garden today, Squeaks.
Do you remember?
They were long, and pink.
[Squeaks squeaks.]
That’s right!
Worms take the fusiform body shape to the extreme.
They’re basically just a long noodle,
which lets them squirm through the soil.
And they’re not the only ones.
Check out this caecilian!
It might look like a worm, but it’s actually a cousin of frogs and salamanders!
You can find a lot of them in South America or other tropical places.
Cool, right?
[Squeaks squeaks.]
It is kind of hard to figure out which end is its head, huh?
That’s because its eyes—these right here—are super small!
Why do you think it has such teeny eyes, Squeaks?
[Squeaks squeaks.]
Ooo, good guess.
Smaller eyes would get less dirt in them.
But that’s not quite the reason.
Let’s imagine what it’s like to be underground.
What do you notice about the world around you when you go into a long tunnel or a cave?
[Squeaks squeaks.]
Oh exactly!
It’s dark!
Even darker than nighttime dark, since there’s no moon or stars.
That makes it really hard to see!
So animals that spend a lot of time tend to use other senses to figure out what’s around
them.
And that means there’s no point in them having big eyes.
Check out this star-nosed mole, for instance;
it has tiny eyes, but its nose has a special structure: it has sensitive tentacles.
It wiggles them in the dirt to feel for tasty bugs to eat—
kind of like we might rummage through dirt with our fingers if we were looking for something
buried in it.
[Squeaks squeaks.]
Yeah—subterranean animals can look pretty strange compared
to the above-ground animals we’re used to.
But that’s just because it takes an incredible set of adaptations to live underground.
Just think of what you’d want if you lived in the dirt!
[Squeaks squeaks.]
Oooo that sounds like fun!
Squeaks and I are going to go out to the garden and use these gloves to pretend to be armadillos.
Maybe the next time you’re playing in the dirt or a sandbox,
you can try digging like you have claws!
You could even get an adult to help you put some sand or rice in a container,
hide some toys in it, and try finding them by feeling around with your eyes closed.
Imagine if that was how you had to find everything!
For now, though…
Thanks for joining us at The Fort!
We’ve been talking about soil a lot lately because it’s super cool.
And these episodes are all brought to you by our friends over at Soil Cycle!
They’re based in a town called Missoula, Montana,
and they collect food scraps and turn them into great soil for plants.
So, thanks, Soil Cycle!
And we’ll see you next time here at the fort!
[ outro ]