Klein & Hubert / Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) standing on the burrow, warming up while facing the sun, Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Klein & Hubert / European Hamster (Cricetus cricetus) standing next to burrow. Alsace, France. September.

Nick Upton / Ivy bee (Colletes hederae) mating ball, showing a mass of males clustered around a female recently emerged from her burrow, Wiltshire, England, UK, September.

Dave Bevan / Pantaloon bee (Dasypoda hurtles) entering burrow with pollen, Bedfordshire, England, UK, August.

Solvin Zankl / Common mole (Talpa europaea) feeding on a grub underground, Germany. Live, captive animal.

Dave Bevan / Female Pantaloon bee (Dasypoda hirpites) returning to burrow, Bedfordshire, England, UK, July.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) three one-month old pups playing on the burrow under a watchful adult 'babysitter', Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) 'babysitter' with three pups about one month old on the burrow, Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) two 'babysitters' with three pups, age one month, playing on burrow, Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) two pups, age one month, playing on burrow, Kalahari Desert, Botswana.

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) standing on burrow at sunset, Kalahari, Botswana

Klein & Hubert / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) baby, age one month, sitting on burrow, Kalahari, Botswana.

Stephane Granzotto / Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) standing alert outside burrow, takes fright and runs inside, Rhone-Alpes, France, July.

Erlend Haarberg / Stoat (Mustela erminea) in snow tunnel, Laponia UNESCO World Heritage Site, Swedish Lapland, Sweden. January. Third place in Golden Turtle Photography Awards 2017 competition.

Terry Whittaker / Water vole (Arvicola amphibius) swimming underwater, dragging nesting material back to its burrow, Kent, England, UK. October.

Danny Green / Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) looking down a nesting chamber, Skomer Island, Wales, UK, May

Danny Green / Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) coming out of it's burrow with a gift, Skomer Island, Wales, UK, May

Adrian Davies / Blackback land crab (Gecarcinus lateralis) dragging leaf into burrow, Barbados.

Cyril Ruoso / Atlantic puffin (Larus tridactyla) seen from burrow, Iceland, July.

Konstantin Mikhailov / Mongolian five-toed jerboa (Allactaga sibirica) digging burrow, Gobi, Mongolia, August.

Tony Phelps / Cape cobra (Naja nivea) emerging from a Cape gerbil (Gerbilliscus afra) burrow, hunting and smelling with its tongue, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa, January.

Tony Phelps / Cape cobra (Naja nivea) hunting, chasing a Cape gerbil (Gerbilliscus afra), De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa, December.

Dong Lei / Black lipped pika (Ochotona curzoniae ) outside of nest hole, Serxu, Shiqu county, Sichuan Province, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. August 2010.

Tui De Roy / Little blue / fairy penguin (Eudyptula minor) pair courting near nesting burrow, Neck Game Reserve, Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia, December.

Tui De Roy / Little blue / fairy penguin (Eudyptula minor) walking on pathway to nesting burrows, Neck Game Reserve, Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia, December.

Ammonite / Two male Mining bees (Andrena praecox) trying to reach a female bee in a hole, France, March.

Ammonite / Two male Mining bees (Andrena praecox) attacking a third male bee emerging from a hole with orchid pollinia attached, France, March.

Neil Aldridge / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) standing and keeping watch while another excavates a burrow in soft sand before disappearing underground for the night. Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana, April.

Yukihiro Fukuda / Japanese giant salamanders (Andrias japonicus) males in a burrow at the time of spawning, Kurokawa River, Hyougo, Japan, September

Tony Phelps / Cape Cobra (Naja nivea) female snake emerging from burrow. The snake often lives in abandoned mammal nests. deHoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

Ben Hall / European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) juveniles emerging from burrow, Cheshire, UK May

Andy Sands / Digger Wasp (Cerceris arenaria) emerging from burrow where it stores insects, paralysed to feed the wasp's larvae. London, England, UK, July.

Andy Sands / Digger Wasp (Cerceris arenaria) carrying large weevil back to burrow, paralysed as food for larvae. London, England, UK, July.

Roland Seitre / Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) seen in its burrow. The species is endangered on account of prey depletion and vulnerability to foreign infection. Declared extinct in the wild in 1987, a succes...

Nick Garbutt / Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) gathering around burrows on cliff top, Isle of Lunga, Treshnish Isles, Isle of Mull, Scotland, UK, June

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by entrance to its burrow amongst flowering Sea thrift (Armeria maritima) Sumburgh Head, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK, June 2011

Ben Hall / 2020VISION / Young European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) sitting in long grass, Murlough Nature Reserve, Co Down, Northern Ireland, UK, June. Did you know? Only female rabbits burrow.

Thomas Rabeil / Fennec Fox (Fennecus / Vulpes zerda) sitting in the entrance to its burrow. Dilia Achetinamou Niger, Africa.

Thomas Rabeil / Fennec Fox (Fennecus / Vulpes zerda) looking out from its burrow. Dilia Achetinamou Niger, Africa.

David Welling / Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys parvidens) standing on watch outside their burrow. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA, August.

Edwin Giesbers / European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) coming out of burrow in warren. The Netherlands, May.

Paul Hobson / Portrait of Puffin (Fratercula arctica) in nest burrow, Shetland, Scotland, UK, July

Charlie Summers / Three Western Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) at entrance to burrow. Cheyenne River drainage south of Hot Springs, South Dakota, USA

Floris van Breugel / Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) breeding pair standing near the entrance to their burrow, at sunset, Salton Sea, California, USA.

Floris van Breugel / Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) standing at entrance to burrow, and watching a Red-tailed Hawk circling above. Salton Sea, California, USA.

Stephen Dalton / Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) in burrow, exposed in sectioned topsoil, England, UK

David Kjaer / Sand martin (Riparia riparia) juvenile at entrance to nest burrow, Worcesrtershire, England, July

Andy Rouse / Puffin (Fratercula arctica) carrying feather to burrow, Fair Isle, Shetland Islands, UK