The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America and common in the northeastern and central United States. Groundhogs are found as far north as Alaska, with their habitat extending southeast to Alabama.
Ten Facts about Woodchuck
- Typically measuring 40 to 65 cm (16 to 26 in) long (including a 15 cm (6 in) tail) and weighing 2 to 4 kg (4 to 9 lb).
- Groundhogs usually live from two to three years, but can live up to six years in the wild.
- Common predators for groundhogs include wolves, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, bears, large hawks, owls, and dogs.
- Mostly herbivorous, groundhogs primarily eat wild grasses and other vegetation, and berries and agricultural crops when available. Groundhogs also eat grubs, grasshoppers, insects, snails and other small animals.
- The average groundhog has been estimated to move approximately 1 m3 (35 cu ft), or 320 kg (710 lb), of dirt when digging a burrow.
- Usually groundhogs breed in their second year, but a small proportion may breed in their first.
- A mated pair remains in the same den throughout the 31-32 day, gestation period.
- Young groundhogs are weaned and ready to seek their own dens at five to six weeks of age.
- The groundhog prefers open country and the edges of woodland, and it is rarely far from a burrow entrance.
- One of the most obvious characteristics of woodchucks is the two front teeth that stick out of the mouth. These teeth are for gnawing and they will continuously grow throughout the woodchuck's life because they are constantly being worn down.
