Woodchuck

This article is about the mammal. The name Woodchuck is also used about a Woodpecker .

The Groundhog (Marmota monax), also called Woodchuck or WhistlePig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae , belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots . Most marmots live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the Woodchuck is a creature of the lowlands. It iswidely distributed in North America , from Alaska to Alabama and Georgia . In the western United States it isfound only in Alaska and northern Washington ).

Woodchucks are typically 40-65cm long (including a 15-cm tail) and weigh 2-4 kilograms.

The Woodchuck is one of a small number of species that have grown greatly in numbers since the arrival of European settlers inNorth America, since the clearing of forests provided it with much suitable habitat . It prefers open country and the edges of woodland. As a consequence, it is afamiliar animal to many people in the United States and Canada .

Woodchucks are excellent burrowers, and they use burrows for sleeping, rearing young, and hibernation .

In the United States and Canada, there is a Groundhog Day celebrationthat gives the Woodchuck some added popularity.

The name woodchuck has nothing etymologically to do with wood . It stems fromthe Cree name for the animal, wuchak. This confusion led to thecommon tongue-twister , "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if awoodchuck could chuck wood?"

The Wall Street Journal quotes wildlife expert RichardThomas as calculating that the average Woodchuck moves approximately 35 cubicfeet (1 m³), or 700 pounds (320 kg), of dirt when digging a burrow.

External links

• Hinterland Who's Who ("Canadian Wildlife Service: Mammals:Woodchuck")
• Missouri Conservation Commission ("Woodchuck")

Other meanings

• The woodchuck is also the arch-nemesis of TheInternet Oracle
• Another name for Woodpecker