Abstract: Burrowing behavior，digging speed，digging duration，and excavated soll quantity
during a digging duration bout of plateau zokor in narrow glass-sided tank (120cm long，120cm high and 10cm wide) were studied by observation and vidieo camera system at Haibei Research Station of Alpine Meadow Ecosystem,Academia Sinica，1991．The speed and duration of digging by both sexual groups were compared in different simulated soil firmnesses. The result showed that the main behavior of burrowing were consisted of digging，
scratching，kicking lossed soil behind，push lossed soil forward，arching to soil,repairing burrow and dealing with plant roots.The digging speed and duration were significantly influenced by soil firmness.With the increasing of soil firmness，the digging speed was decreasing,but the digging duration was increasing.As a result，the soil quantity／bout excavated by zokor was not accordingly changed with soil firmness，however，it was significantly different between males (75.07 grams soil dried weight) and females (51.39 grams).

Key words: Plateau zokor(Myospalax baiteyi), Burrowing, Soil mass excavated

摘要： 本文通过自制高原鼢鼠挖掘行为观察箱，以直接观察法和摄录像系统观察了在模拟不同土壤坚实度条件下，高原鼢鼠的挖掘行为、掘土速度、掘土持续时间以及在每一掘土回合内的掘土量。结果表明，高原鼢鼠的掘洞活动主要由掘土、扒土、踢土、推土、以及拱土组成；掘土速度和掘土持续时间与土壤坚实度有关；在相同土壤条件下，虽然雄、雌鼢鼠的掘土速度相似，但雄性鼢鼠在每回合内的掘土量明显地高与雌鼠。

关键词: 高原鼢鼠, 挖掘活动, 掘土量