On February 2 Americans will intensely be watching the movements of one particular groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil.
Though the groundhog species has been made famous for seemingly forecasting the changing seasons, there’s much more to this brown-haired furry animal than having a special day dedicated to its shadow.
Check out Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction for 2015.
Also known as woodchucks, groundhogs spend the cold months in an underground burrow, hibernating winter away.
If you’ve seen a portly groundhog waddling along, you’ll find its name is quite appropriate. They’re stout animals with strong legs built for digging, and expert diggers they are, sometimes making a complete burrow in one day.
Groundhogs are covered with a grizzly brown fur. They’re one to two feet long, weighing up to 14 lbs. Of course, groundhogs are heftiest in fall just before hibernation, and they awaken skinny in spring sometimes at half their weight.
Watch for a groundhog’s winter den in a wooded or bushy area. Here, they’ll build a complex tunnel system complete with a nest, front door and side entrances. By early November most groundhogs are already hibernating. Only after an uncommonly warm spell will a groundhog awaken and crawl out of its burrow. In this area, groundhogs begin emerging in early February. Contrary to popular belief, they come out looking for plant growth to eat, not their shadows.
And, from time to time, you’ll catch them sunbathing near their burrow. Or, maybe, the groundhog’s just watching the weather after all.
Get to Know the Groundhog
- The woodchuck’s importance as a builder of homes for other animals is significant: skunks, foxes, weasels, opossums and rabbits all use woodchuck burrows for their dens.
- When alarmed or suddenly disturbed, they can give a loud, shrill whistle.
- The woodchuck is almost a complete vegetarian, eating leaves, flowers and soft stems of various grasses, of field crops such as clover and alfalfa, and of many kinds of wild herbs.
- They’re found statewide, but rare in the Mississippi Lowlands, where the water table is so high that denning sites are limited.
- Woodchucks formerly were trapped for their fur, which was used for fur coats. The flesh of young, lean animals is good food.
Discover more about groundhogs in MDC’s Field Guide.
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