Is the prairie dog really a dog?

Prairie Dog

No, despite its name and its barking call, the prairie dog is actually a member of the ground squirrel family.  The prairie dog lives in underground burrows in the western United States. These burrows have so many tunnels that people refer to them as towns.

Hundreds of prairie dog families may live in these towns.  A mound of dirt surrounds the entrance to each burrow.  A prairie dog usually stands guard at the entrance to its burrow.  If it spots danger, the prairie dog barks loudly, and they all scramble to their homes for safety.–Dick Rogers

How does the earthworm dig its hole?

Earthworm

Earthworms are worms that live in warm and moist places throughout the world.

As anyone can guess from their name, earthworms live in the ground.  The earthworm digs its burrow by actually eating its way through the soil.

As the worm digs, it swallows the dirt and digests the decaying plant and food matter in the dirt.

The soil passes through the earthworm’s long body and is left on the ground in little heaps of dirt balls, called castings.  Thus the earthworm makes a home for itself and gets its meals at the same time.

Earthworms are good friends to farmers and gardeners.  By digging burrows, earthworms leave tiny holes in the ground which make it easy for air and water to get to plant roots.

The castings of the worms help keep the soil rich for growing plants.

The earthworm is sometimes called an angleworm or fishworm, because it is a popular bait used by fishermen. – Dick Rogers