Are there real animals on earth like the Dune sandworms?

[YogSothoth]

Are there things that can live in sand and move through it almost as quick as a fish in water? I would assume such a thing would be very difficult, even with the sandworms having tiny appendages that allows them to propel themselves. And if these things exist, do they also track prey through their footsteps above sand and spring up on them and eat them?

[Nametag]

Lizard Swims Like Snake Through Sand

“When started above the surface, the animals dive into the sand within half a second. Once below the surface, they no longer use their limbs for propulsion — instead, they move forward by propagating a traveling wave down their bodies like a snake,” said study leader Daniel Goldman.

The animals used the same motion no matter how dense the material was, but, unexpectedly, they swam faster in more closely packed material.

And the faster the sandfish propagate the wave across their bodies, the faster they move forward. They can at speeds as fast as 6 inches per second (0.33 mph).

Shai-hulud it ain’t, but it’s a start.

[Freudian_Slit]

How about the sandworms in Beetlejuice?

[salinqmind]

The adorable young Kevin Bacon encountered something in Tremors.