Facts about Groundhogs

Groundhogs are large ground squirrels that are referred to as Marmots. They are also known as woodchucks and are related to squirrels. Woodchucks or groundhogs can climb trees and also swim. These are terrestrial animals (rodents) and live in burrows during the winter season. They live in rocky and mountainous areas for the most part. The body clock of a groundhog is believed to be adjusted according to the change of season. It is said that their body undergoes hormonal changes, specifically melatonin, which is a sleep-inducing hormone, where it also controls their waking when the groundhog is in hibernation. The whole life cycle of the animal is very interesting and the following facts about groundhogs should prove to be just as fascinating.

Facts about Groundhogs

• Groundhogs are also called whistle pigs.
• They have four toes on their feet and five on the back. They can grow to a maximum of two feet when measured from head to toe and weigh somewhere around five to fourteen pounds.
• Groundhogs have grayish brown fur and tails that are bushy. They generally have two layers of fur so that the outside layer serves as a waterproof layer, and the inside layer maintains body heat.
• They dig their burrows with the help of their powerful limbs and thick claws. They are quite adept at it. They can remove up to seven hundred pounds of soil to make a twenty by twenty-five foot long burrow.
• The burrows made by groundhogs have many chambers and also more than one entrance to the same burrow.
• They make a loud whistling sound like an alarm bell to alert other groundhogs, about danger nearby.
• Groundhogs are herbivorous animals, and they eat plants like grass, clover and alfalfa. They also eat strawberries, peas, pansies and garden beans.
• Groundhogs have predators like foxes, bobcats and human beings that constantly prey on them.
• When it is close to autumn the groundhogs start gaining weight.
• During hibernation the body temperature of the groundhogs drop from 99°F to 45°F. Their heartbeat also decreases from eighty beats per minute to five per minute. The breathing is also reduced from twelve to approximately four per minute. They hibernate to protect themselves from the cold weather, where their metabolisms decrease, thus allowing the body to rely on stored body fat to make it through the winter.
• Groundhogs have an amazing sense of hearing, with very sharp eyesight.
• The breeding season for groundhogs last from somewhere around March to mid or late April which is sometimes immediately after the hibernation period. The gestation period is of about 28 to 32 days and the male groundhog leaves the same day as when the young are supposed to be born.
• The lifespan for these rodents is two to three years approximately but they can survive up to six years in the forests and up to ten years in captivity.

So these are facts about groundhogs which I hope are informative.