North American prairie dogs build a mound at one of the two entrances to their burrows. The entrance on the mound (A) is higher than the other entrance (B), and is therefore exposed to greater wind speeds. This

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The principle at work here is similar to the Venturi effect, where a fluid (in this case, air) moving through a constricted path (the burrow system with different entrance heights) experiences a change in pressure. The higher entrance exposed to greater wind speeds results in a lower pressure area compared to the lower entrance, creating a pressure differential. This differential sucks air through the burrow from the lower entrance (B) to the higher entrance (A), facilitating ventilation.

North American Prairie Dogs Build a Mound at One of the Two