I could not find its weight but it probably does not weight much! Just like many troglodite species, its distribution range is very restricted. It is a pure white fish growing to 40 cm, with an eel-like body, no eyes, and a thin rayless membrane around the tip of the tail.

The blind cave eel ( Ophisternon candidum) is a troglodite. If you accept far-fetched argument, I've got an individual that weight more than a ton! But let's start with a simple example of a large troglodyte. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 95(2), 267-283. Evolution of morphological adaptations for digging in living and extinct ctenomyid and octodontid rodents. Though at 0.5 mm, it's definitely not winning the largest trophy :p.That award goes to the ' Devil Worm' ( Halicephalobus mephisto), a nematode that has been found living at 3.6 km below the surface!!. 'You should imagine the tracemaker as a stout, short-bodied, four-legged animal with a short tail and short neck.The trunk was about 20-25 centimeters (8-10 inches) in length. The only info I could find via a quick search for prehistoric fossorial animals:Ī series of 240 million year old underground tunnels/chambers suggest some burrowing species lived there. Olm ( Proteus anguinus): up to 40 cm long. It spends all day in underground burrows though it hunts above ground at night.Giant Armadillo ( Priodontes maximus): up to 1.5 m up to 50 kg

Russian Desman ( Desmana moschata): 18-21 cm (up to 41 cm including the tail) 400-520 g

Supposedly, some blesmols can reach a weight of 1800 g.

Some extant large species of fossorial animals:Ĭape dune mole-rat ( Bathyergus suillus): 27-35 cm (up to 39cm including tail) 570-1350 g However, here's a list of other species anyways: I think large specimens of suggested species ( Microchaetus rappi) will be tough to 'beat', with large specimens reaching 6.7 m and 1.5 kg.

Troglobites are animals that live entirely in the dark parts of caves.

You might also want to examine a list of troglobites.

Though note: Lessa et al (2008) use fossorial to describe species that spend a substantial fraction of their lives outside their burrows, while they use subterranean to describe species that perform most activities underground.

To aid in your search, you might want to try searching the term ' Fossorial.'įossorial animals are animals that are adapted to digging and life underground.

Download african giant earthworm