Abstract

SUBTERRANEAN rodents are intriguing subjects for research. On the one hand they display extreme variability in social organisation and life history, and exhibit a range of unique adaptations in morphology and physiology that allow exploitation of different habitats. On the other hand, field studies of subterranean rodents are exceptionally challenging as the animals are seldom observed. Subterranean rodents are also widely distributed, occurring on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Life underground: The biology of subterranean rodents provides an excellent summary of what we know (and what we do not know) about this cryptic group of mammals, and also succeeds in conveying the joys and frustrations of studying them.