Groundhog Facts - Marmota Marmax

The Woodchuck is the Largest Member of the Squirrel Family

Feb 1, 2009

The groundhog is the only animal with its own national holiday.

The tradition celebrated on Groundhog Day is that when the groundhog awakens from his winter slumber and sees his shadow, he’ll run back into his burrow. The theory is that this means there are still six weeks left of winter. Historically, groundhogs were considered wise with their weather-predicting ways, so it’s hard to argue with that kind of reasoning.

Groundhogs (Marmota marmax), are known across the country by several different names. Some areas call these pudgy rodents groundhogs or woodchucks. Some regions of the country call them marmots or whistle pigs. They are just one of the fourteen species of marmots, and can be found throughout North America, up through northern Canada and northwest to Alaska.

They inhabit woodlands, open spaces, fields and streams. Woodchucks may appear awkward and bulky, but in fact, are adept at both swimming and climbing. They have excellent eyesight, which comes in handy considering foxes, coyotes, wildcats and hawks all would like him for dinner. Woodchucks communicate danger to other woodchucks with a loud whistle, and can run up to ten miles per hour if necessary.

Groundhog Stats

The Groundhog’s Home

With their strong claws, groundhogs dig burrows under the ground for their homes. The burrows are complete with a main entrance and several spy holes for keeping a keen eye out for predators. Inside the burrows, the marmot digs a toilet chamber, and a nesting chamber that doubles as a bedroom and a nursery, if the marmot is a female.

The Woodchuck Family

Woodchucks are solitary animals with the exception of the days when they just come out of hibernation. When a male wakes up, he heads out looking for the burrow of a female marmot. He visits with the female for a short time. After a few weeks, the male leaves the female's burrow, seeking yet another burrow to visit. After a gestation period of 28 – 32 days, the female gives birth to 4-5 young. The baby groundhogs are born blind and naked. The babies stay with their mothers for six weeks while males have nothing to do with raising the young.

Hibernation for the Groundhog

Marmots feet and tails are short; they are brownish-gray in color. Their coat is grown in two layers. The top layer of fur keeps water from reaching the groundhog’s skin. The second layer, the “undercoat”, holds in the heat close to its body. Around October, the marmot’s internal clock feels the affects of the receding daylight hours. His hormones respond by changing the melatonin production in his body.

Groundhogs go into a profound hibernation below the soil’s frost line. Their metabolic rate is greatly reduced and their temperature drops as low as 39-40 degrees. The same hormonal change is what is thought to give him the wake up call five months later. When he awakens he will have lost half of his body weight.

Groundhogs Affect Their Habitat

Groundhogs have other effects on the habitats in which they live. By digging burrows, groundhogs improve the soil by allowing water and air to reach underground. This process helps to break down the hard underlying ground to create valuable topsoil.

When the groundhog’s burrow is abandoned by the original builder, it provides homes for other animal species such as skunks and foxes. While some animals can be bothersome, it is worth while to understand the different ways that all animal species contribute to the food chain and the habitats on earth.

The copyright of the article Groundhog Facts - Marmota Marmax in Mammals is owned by Chris McLaughlin. Permission to republish Groundhog Facts - Marmota Marmax in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.