Describing animals that are specially adapted for digging or burrowing into the ground, like moles or badgers.
From Latin fossus (dug, past participle of fodere meaning 'to dig') plus the suffix -orious. The term evolved in 19th-century zoology to classify animals by their digging behavior.
Moles are the ultimate fossorial superstars—their entire skeleton is essentially a living shovel, with massive forearms that can move independently to excavate tunnels faster than you can walk!
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