Every year on February 2nd, people in the United States celebrate a fun winter holiday called Groundhog Day. This day is special because it marks the halfway point of winter, and everyone looks to a little animal called the groundhog for a weather prediction. The most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil, who lives in a town called Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania.
The story goes that if Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his underground home and sees his shadow, it means there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, spring will come early. It’s a fun tradition that makes Groundhog Day unique because it’s one of the few holidays focused on an animal.
Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are part of a group of animals called rodents. Other rodents include squirrels, hamsters, rats, and mice. All rodents have sharp front teeth called incisors. You have incisors too—they’re the four front teeth at the top and bottom of your mouth. While humans lose their incisors as they grow, rodents like groundhogs have teeth that keep growing.
Groundhogs need to keep their teeth from growing too long, or they would have trouble eating. To do this, they chew on things like sticks and trees. This helps wear down their teeth and keeps them at a good length. So, if you see a groundhog gnawing on wood, it’s not eating it—it’s just filing down its teeth!
Groundhogs have a varied diet. They mostly eat plants like grasses, berries, and nuts. But they also enjoy small insects, grubs, and snails when they can find them. When they’re not eating, groundhogs live in long underground tunnels called burrows.
Groundhog burrows can be really big, sometimes as long as five or six cars parked in a row. These burrows have two main rooms: one for living and sleeping, and the other as a bathroom. Burrows are also where groundhogs hibernate during the winter.
Hibernation is like a deep sleep that helps groundhogs survive the cold winter months. During hibernation, a groundhog’s heart rate slows from about 80 beats per minute to just four or five beats per minute. Their body temperature also drops from around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to about 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). This helps them save energy when they aren’t eating.
To get ready for hibernation, groundhogs eat a lot during the fall to build up fat in their bodies. This fat provides energy while they sleep through the winter, from October to March. So, if Punxsutawney Phil is out on February 2nd, he might have woken up a bit early!
Thanks for learning about groundhogs with us! If you’re curious about why things happen or how they work, feel free to ask questions. See you next time!
