“…Among fossorial rodent species three methods of digging can be found (Stein, 2000): scratch-digging (i.e., claws of the manus are used to break up soil; e.g., Ctenomys, Bathyergus, Geomys); head-lift (i.e., incisors in concert with the skull form a powerful drill, that works like a spade to remove and loose the soil; e.g., Nannospalax, Ellobius), and chisel-tooth digging (i.e., incisors are used to break down the ground; e.g., Cryptomys). Depending on the mode of digging different adaptations of the appendicular skeleton or skull have been described (Calede, Samuels, & Chen, 2019;Hildebrand, 1988;Samuels & Valkenburgh, 2009;Stein, 2000). As for Arvicola, fossorial water voles (A. scherman) are chisel-tooth diggers that build complex burrow systems in harder soils (Airoldi, 1976;Airoldi & De Werra, 1993;Laville, 1989).…”