Discrete element models for understanding the biomechanics of fossorial animals

The morphological features of fossorial animals have continuously evolved in response to the demands of survival. However, existing methods for animal burrowing mechanics are not capable of addressing the large deformation of substrate. The discrete element method (DEM) is able to overcome this limitation. In this study, we used DEM to develop a general model to simulate the motion of an animal body part and its interaction with the substrate. The DEM also allowed us to easily change the forms of animal body parts to examine how those different forms affected the biomechanical functions. These capabilities of the DEM were presented through a case study of modelling the burrowing process of North American Badger. In the case study, the dynamics (forces, work, and soil displacements) of burrowing were predicted for different forms of badger claw and manus, using the model. Results showed that when extra digits are added to a manus, the work required for a badger to dig increases considera...