A lot of life on Earth happens underground. This episode, we sample the species that have taken to a life of digging in the dirt – and elsewhere – why they do it and what physical adaptations help them along the way. Then, we’ll take a tour of burrows in the fossil record and explore what clues paleontologists can use to determine which ancient critter constructed a given burrow.

In the news: malaria history, false octopus, pterosaur tracks, and giant octopus.

Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:55 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:45:05 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:17:55 Patron question: 02:12:45

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

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Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Leaf it to Us Season 2 is coming! Episode 1 drops on May 7th!

You can find Leaf it to Us on any podcast platform!

Consider supporting Leaf it to Us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leafittouspod

And connect with the community in these places: https://linktr.ee/leafittouspod

The Leaf it to Us theme song is “Late Bloomer” by Devours. Find more from Devours at https://devours.bandcamp.com/

Silver Screen Science is our series where we explore science on the big screen and beyond. This year, we’re taking a tour through cinematic history with Old School Dinosaurs!

This episode, we’re wrapping things up with a tale of cowboys and dinosaurs in The Valley of Gwangi!

Check out our website for blog posts and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org.