Groundhog = Woodchuck = Whistle-Pig = Land-Beaver = Marmota Monax

Photograph Credit NY Times

The Groundhog has more nicknames than former NBA star Shaquille O'Neil. Yet no matter what name you reference it by, it all boils down to the critter pictured above staring you down. The ground is classified as a rodent and is the largest member of the squirrel family. Even though they are typically seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are capable swimmers.

Groundhogs are most famously known for the american tradition of predicting the end of winter. Each year on February 2 which is Groundhog Day, the Groundhog is brought out to see if it sees its own shadow. If it sees its shadow then it is believed that we will have 6 more weeks of winter. If February 2 is overcast, the legend says the Groundhog will not see its own shadow and we will have a mild ride for the rest of the winter.

Groundhogs are fringe animals. They like to hang out where different habitats connect. Like when a forest meets a field. They are native to Central and Eastern North America as well as parts of Canada and Alaska. Groundhogs live in complex burrow systems that they create underground. These burrows are so complex in fact that they have their own dedicated restrooms.

An adult groundhog weighs anywhere from 6-12 pounds and grows to be around two feet long from head to tail. They are herbivores but every so often might snack on an insect or two. You do as well if you don't wash your fruits and vegetables good. A groundhog's unwashed vegetables include apples, dandelions, beans, peas, carrot tops, clovers, flowers, you know all the usual Groundhog stuff.

Groundhogs will eat up to 1/3 of their body weight in a day. And when I say they eat, I mean they eat. They spend their summers stuffing themselves to increase fat reserves. The Groundhog hibernates in the winter so they are bulking up for a deep sleep in the summer. When a groundhog is hibernating their body temperature isn't much warmer than the temperature in their burrow.

Stop by and see our Ground Hogs the next time you're in the Wisconsin Dells!