ground-dwelling

Lives on land

Ground-dwelling describes animals that live primarily on or in the ground rather than in trees, water, or air.

The term appears most often in natural history contexts: ground-dwelling birds like quail, ground-dwelling spiders.

It distinguishes species from their arboreal, aquatic, or aerial relatives.

ecology

terrestrial

Relating to land

understoryForest's lower vegetation tier
leaf litterDecomposing ground debris
forest floorGround beneath trees

grassland · savanna · scrubland · desert · tundra · prairie · woodland · microhabitat · ecosystem · predator-prey

behavior

foraging

Seeking wild food sources

burrowingDigging to create shelter
scurryingHasty, light-footed motion
nestingMaking a dwelling

hiding · digging · rooting · scratching · tunneling · nocturnal · cryptic · camouflage · vigilance · feeding

habitat

burrow

Animal's dug dwelling

denPrivate room or lair
warrenInterconnected underground tunnels
tunnelEnclosed underground route

nest · underground · terrestrial · subterranean · hole · cavity · earthen · soil · substrate · shelter

wildlife

rabbit

Long-eared lagomorph

badgerNag persistently
moleSubterranean insectivore
groundhogNorth American burrowing marmot

tortoise · quail · armadillo · hedgehog · wombat · gopher · vole · shrew · prairie dog · bandicoot

Categories

habitat typesaquatic, terrestrial, arboreal, marine, freshwater
earthbound thingsgrounded, rooted, anchored, planted, flightless
bird traitsfeathered, plumed, plumage, plumaged, beaky
flightless birdsostrich, penguins, emu, ostriches, kiwi

Opposites

vertical habitat zone

ground-dwellingarboreal

Of or in trees

tree-dwelling · aerial · flying · airborne · treetop

substrate medium

ground-dwellingaquatic

Water-inhabiting

marine · oceanic · subterranean · underground · subaquatic

Family

ground, dwelling

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G