15 Animals That Live in Soil (Explained with Pictures)

Many animals like insects and small creatures live in the soil. We have discussed some of them. They are as follows:

1- Beetles

Beetles are insect-like animals that live in the soil. They generally have hard exoskeleton bodies. Beetles are well-known in human culture. The period in which an egg beetle grows to an adult beetle is about 2 to 3 years. But they only live between 13 and 44 days. The average size of a beetle is about 2.5cm. They come in various colors, black, brown, green, red, and orange. 

2- Ants

Ants are small creatures, insects animals that live in the soil. There are 12,000 species of ants in the world. The queen and male have wings while other workers don’t. Only the queen ant can lay eggs. Ants also have a brain that contains about 250,000 neurons. Ants make their home underground in the soil. They have made their colonies there, and the queen ant leads that colony. 

3- Worms

Worms are little creatures that live in the soil. A worm has no legs, no arms, or eyes. There are 2,700 different types of worms. They are cold-blooded animals. Worms have 5 hearts, and this is an amazing fact about them. They can live approximately 4 years. Worms have colorless, pink, red, or even green color of blood. Adult worms are just about 5 to 10 mm in length. 

4- Moles

Moles are small, mine mammals. They have bend front jaws and paws. They dig into the soil like shovels. In an hour, they can dig up to 18 feet. They don’t see well, but their sense of smell is very good. Moles have poison in their saliva from which they can immobilize insects and worms. The normal size of the mole is around 12 cm, and a full-grown mole is about 4 to 7 inches long.

5- Snails

There are 60,000 snails worldwide, varying from 0.68mm to 70cm in size. Wild species of snails can live up to 4 to 7 years. They normally weigh from 25 to 45 grams. Snails are also known as slow-motion gastropods. They are invertebrates, so they don’t have a backbone. Snails can travel at a speed of 0.0048 km/h means they can cover 1 kilometer in one week without taking a rest or stop. They have shells that grow next to them.

6- Millipedes

Millipedes also live in the soil. There are around 7,000 species of millipedes in the world, of which 1,400 of them only occur in America and Canada. Millipedes have 300 legs and are long-segment animals. They eat decaying wood particles and other plant material. Although they don’t harm us, they use toxins to avoid predators. The toxin they spray can go as far as 80cm. This secretion can also cause allergic reactions in some people.

7- Spiders

Soil-dwelling spiders live in the soil; they are predators and eat soil animals, insects, millipedes, and worms. There are 45,000 well-known species of spiders in the world. There are amazing facts about them; they can see what we can’t see and work together. They can also live underwater and can fly hundreds of miles. Spiders have eight legs, two pincer-like venomous appendages, and three pairs of spinnerets. Their size varies from 0.5 to 90mm. Some species that have venom can also be harmful to humans. 

8- Earwigs

There are more than 1,200 species of earwigs all over the world except in Antarctica. Their length varies from 0.2 to 2 inches, and they have cylindrical, flat, and dark-colored bodies. They feed on dead decaying plants and animals. There are three stages of earwigs egg, nymph, and adult. Earwigs have one year of lifespan. The breeding period of earwigs is in winter and autumn. Earwigs don’t harm humans. 

Animals That Live on Trees

9- Nematodes

Nematodes are microscopic wormlike organisms and are usually food for a high level of predators. They are the most generous animals on Earth and occur as parasites in animals and plants. Nematodes live in water pores-filled pores spaces in the soil. Bacteria and fungi also attack them. Free-living nematodes also live in soil, sea, and freshwater. Nematodes also damage the roots of plants by blocking the water and nutrients.

10- Slug

Slugs flourish in a high-moisture environment and live underground. They have 27,000 teeth. Worms, vegetation, animal waste, and fungus are the food of slugs. If there is a slug at your home, you can kill it by pouring salt on it, which can kill the slug instantly. They mostly live underground because they are protected by the sun and most predators. Slugs don’t like plants with fragranced herbage, but slugs are the favorite food of other predators. Cheer birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, beetles, and other predators in your home garden.

11- Springtail

They are found everywhere on the Earth and live in soil where the soil changes with leaf litter and under barks or decaying wood. In urban areas, they flourish where they can find moisture. Gardens-like places are homes for springtails. They can also cause skin irritation in humans. Springtails are very small. They measure between 1/16th and 1/18th in length. They don’t have wings, so they don’t fly, but they have furcula under the abdomen, which helps them to jump up to 8 inches in the air. 

12- Shrews

Most shrews live under the soil in moist habitats, and some live in dry areas. Several shrews have also developed well-haired toes that help them to swim well, and even they can run across the water. They feed on rodents, bugs, birds, eggs, and various plants. An amazing fact about shrews is that their heart rate beats around 800 to 1,000 times per minute. Shrews are very fast they can make 12 body movements per second. They also have a high metabolism, which means they eat a lot. Shrews’ life is always searching for prey because they die if they don’t eat in a few hours. Some species of shrews are very poisonous. As from the research, shrews have enough poison to kill 200 mice.

13- Gopher

Gophers establish in Central and North America in sandy soil areas. They use their sharp paws and teeth to make their home-like tunnels, which can also damage the lawn. The average size of gophers is 5 to 14 inches long and weighs about 5 lbs. The lifespan of gophers is around 1-3 years. They have round, rodent, soft fur bodies with short necks and flat heads. Gophers ingest about 60% each day of their body weight in vegetation. They are stern herbivores; their favorite diet is roots, shrubs, forbs, grass, and herbaceous plants.

Animals That only Eat Plants

14- Prairie Dog

Black-tailed prairie dogs live in dry, flat grasslands. They favor fine or medium-textured soil. They are habitat modifiers who dig burrows close together to make colonies. The average lifespan of a male prairie dog is around 5 years, and 8 years of females. Due to complex communication, they are also intelligent animals with a specific call for predators. Even they have alarm calls when they see a human with a gun.

15- Mice

In the wild, mice like to live and grub underground. They are small mammals and prefer forest areas, grass fields, and hiding in bushes. While in populated areas, they like to live with humans. They have a lifespan of 3 years. Mouses are 2.4 to 4.3 in length, have small rounded ears, a scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. Mice are also popular as pets. In certain places, they are locally common. They eat 15 to 2o times per day. Due to their frequent eating habits, they also like to build their homes near the food source. They feed on yogurt, cheese, seeds, grains, cereals, and brown rice.

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