---
title: "What the sources say about the Groundhog | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "42 claims from the Groundhog profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/groundhog/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Groundhog (*Marmota monax*)

> 42 claims from the Groundhog profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Groundhog](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/groundhog/)

## Cassola (2016). Marmota monax. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T42458A115189992.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-3.rlts.t42458a22257685.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | Least Concern (note: conservationStatus; the quote is the category line from GBIF's copy of the Red List, assessment 2016) |
| The Red List rates it Least Concern. | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |

## Kerwin & Maslo. Ecology and Management of the Groundhog (Marmota monax). Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

https://njaes.rutgers.edu/e361/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The largest marmot in its range, a tunnelling rodent that sleeps through the winter and warns its neighbours with a shrill whistle. | are the largest marmot species in the range, weighing 5-15 lbs. and measuring 16-26 inches long (note: tagline; winter sleep and whistle claimed below) |
| The groundhog is the largest marmot in its range. It weighs 5 to 15 pounds and measures 16 to 26 inches long. | are the largest marmot species in the range, weighing 5-15 lbs. and measuring 16-26 inches long |
| It belongs to the squirrel family, and you can find it across much of Canada and the eastern United States. | Groundhogs can be found across much of Canada and the eastern United States |
| It belongs to the squirrel family | belong to the squirrel family Sciuridae |
| Open clearings, woodland edges, roadsides, fields and stream banks across much of Canada and the eastern United States | including open clearings, woodland edges, roadsides, fields, and riparian areas (note: stats.habitat) |
| Digs tunnel networks up to 30 feet long, with separate chambers for hibernation | groundhogs maintain complex networks of tunnels that can extend 4 to 5 feet beneath the ground surface and up to 30 feet in length (note: stats.superpower) |
| With them it digs tunnel networks that can reach 4 to 5 feet down and up to 30 feet in length. | groundhogs maintain complex networks of tunnels that can extend 4 to 5 feet beneath the ground surface and up to 30 feet in length |
| Its tools are long, curved claws and strong limbs. | Using their long, curved claws and strong limbs |
| A burrow often has several entrances and separate chambers for hibernation, which is deep winter sleep. | Burrows often contain multiple access and egress points, as well as separate chambers for hibernation |
| it has big front teeth, called incisors, that grow continuously. | groundhogs have large incisors, which grow continuously to compensate for the extreme wear and tear they experience from grazing vegetation and gnawing through roots while excavating burrows |
| Grazing and gnawing through roots wear them down. | extreme wear and tear they experience from grazing vegetation and gnawing through roots while excavating burrows |
| Groundhogs are surprisingly sanitary, even dedicating separate chambers for defecation. | Groundhogs are surprisingly sanitary, even dedicating separate chambers for defecation! (note: blockquote) |
| In summer, a groundhog can eat up to 1.5 pounds of plants a day. | They can eat up to 1.5 lbs. of vegetation per day during the summer |
| That adds 11.5 to 20 grams of body weight daily, depending on sex and age. | leading to a 11.5-20-gram weight gain per day, depending on sex and age |
| In spring it favours clover | In spring groundhogs favor species of clover (note: clover; later foods next claim) |
| later in the growing season it seeks out berries, corn, tomatoes, alfalfa and apples from fields and gardens. | groundhogs will seek out various berries, corn, tomatoes, alfalfa, and apples from cultivated fields and backyard gardens |
| It will occasionally eat bird eggs, beetles, snails and grasshoppers. | groundhogs will occasionally consume bird eggs and invertebrates including beetles, snails, and grasshoppers |
| Plants such as clover, berries, corn and apples, and occasionally bird eggs, insects and snails | Although they are primarily vegetarians, groundhogs will occasionally consume bird eggs and invertebrates including beetles, snails, and grasshoppers. (note: stats.diet; foods above) |
| Hibernation starts in October or November. | which begins in October or November |
| Both sexes wake briefly in February, when males claim territories and look for females. | Male and female groundhogs arouse from hibernation for short periods in February, which allows males to establish territories and search for females |
| They go back to sleep and finally emerge in March. | Both sexes then return to their respective burrows for additional deep-sleep periods before finally emerging in March |
| A female has one litter of 2 to 6 young a year. | Females produce one litter of 2-6 young |
| The kits are born blind and hairless. | Kits are born blind and hairless |
| After about 2 months of care they leave to find their own territories. | After about 2 months of care, the juvenile groundhogs leave their natal site to find their own territories. |
| Groundhogs are prey for coyotes, bobcats, eagles, hawks, owls and weasels. | Groundhogs are also an important prey item for coyotes, bobcats, eagles, hawks, owls, and weasels. |
| In the wild a groundhog lives 4 to 6 years on average. | Groundhogs live an average of 4 to 6 years in the wild |
| Groundhogs are the best non-human model for studying hepatitis B, a virus that damages the human liver. | Groundhogs serve as the best non-human model for studying the hepatitis B virus, which causes liver damage and liver cancer in humans if left untreated. |
| They can be infected with a similar disease called woodchuck hepatitis virus. Studying infected groundhogs helps researchers understand the virus and develop new treatments for people with hepatitis B. | Groundhogs can be infected with a similar disease known as woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV), which also causes liver cancer. By studying groundhogs infected with WHV, researchers can better understand the pathogenesis of the virus and develop new therapies to treat humans with hepatitis B. |
| Once abandoned, these burrows give shelter and breeding space to many other animals, including rabbits, raccoons, foxes, river otters and snakes. | Abandoned groundhog burrows are used by many other wildlife species for shelter and breeding, including cottontail rabbits, raccoons, foxes, river otters, eastern chipmunks, and a wide variety of small mammals, snakes, and birds. |
| Both names, plus whistlepig and land beaver, belong to *Marmota monax*. | Known by several common names such as whistlepig, land beaver, and woodchuck |
| German migrants brought the tradition to Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s | German migrants brought the tradition of Groundhog Day to Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s. |
| in Europe the animal was originally a badger or a hedgehog. | (originally a badger or hedgehog in Europe) |
| It is a legend. | According to the myth, if a groundhog (originally a badger or hedgehog in Europe) emerges from its den and sees its shadow, then six more weeks of winter lie ahead. (note: FAQ) |

## Tobias. Marmota monax (woodchuck). Animal Diversity Web.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Marmota_monax/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A threatened groundhog often defends itself with its teeth and gives a shrill whistle. | They often use their teeth to defend themselves and produce a shrill whistle when threatened. |
| The whistle also warns other groundhogs, especially juveniles. | Whistles also serve as a warning call to conspecifics, especially juveniles. |
| To avoid predators it climbs trees and stops to look up while feeding. | Woodchucks avoid predators by climbing trees and looking up periodically while feeding. |
| Wild groundhogs average 4 to 6 years, but predators and disease mean many do not live past age 3. | Woodchucks live 4 to 6 years in the wild but, due to predation and disease, often do not live past age 3. (note: FAQ) |
| "Woodchuck" comes from a Native American word, which one account translates roughly as "the digger". | The word "woodchuck" is a misinterpretation of their Native American name "wuchak", which roughly translates as "the digger". |
| One account suggests the legend began because groundhogs often go back into hibernation after leaving their dens too early. | The legend of Groundhog Day is likely due to the fact that woodchucks often re-enter hibernation after emerging from their dens prematurely. (note: FAQ) |
| A threatened groundhog gives a shrill whistle that also warns other groundhogs | They often use their teeth to defend themselves and produce a shrill whistle when threatened. (note: vibe.reason) |