Groundhogs Give Mixed Reports On Length Of Winter

by Sherry Morse

According to Nova Scotia's official groundhog, Shubenacadie Sam, Canada will see an early spring this year; but Punxsutawny Phil, America's best-known groundhog, Wiarton Willie, Ontario's best-known groundhog, and Alberta's Balzac Billy all disagreed with him - predicting another six weeks of winter for the United States and Canada.

Legend has it that if a groundhog comes out of its burrow on February 2nd and sees his shadow, that means winter will last another six weeks. No shadow means spring will come early that year.

According to one theory, the tradition originated from a German superstition which says if an animal casts a shadow on February 2nd, bad weather is coming.

Sue Penney, an education coordinator at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park where Sam lives, said approximately 100 people showed up to see Sam emerge from his burrow this year.

"It's cloudy; he will not be seeing his shadow," she said.

However, Penney did confess that Sam's past record in predicting the end of winter has not been very accurate.

"Actually, I don't think he's even batting fifty percent," she said.

Being rather practical, Penney added, "I think the main point of the whole event is it's an excuse to celebrate that winter is half over."

Many other groundhogs in towns across the United States had their moment in the spotlight on the 2nd.

Queen Charlotte, official groundhog for Charlotte in North Carolina, reportedly did not see her shadow Monday, the same day that an ice storm that was expected to hit the area never materialized.

While not groundhogs, prairie dogs Phil and Corona Kate of the Queens Zoo in Flushing Meadows, New York, took their jobs seriously and predicted another six more weeks of winter this year.

Meanwhile, Staten Island Chuck, a groundhog who lives at the Staten Island Zoo in New York, did not see his shadow, according to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Although Groundhog Day is a large tourist draw in the towns that are home to the well-known animals, it has been debunked by some researchers who believe the animals are only emerging from their burrows to find a suitable mate.

Stam Zervanos, associate professor of biology at Pennsylvania State University in Reading, observed thirty groundhogs over four years, in a study he published last year.

"What's happening, I'm pretty confident, is that they're getting together, getting ready for mating that's going to come later," Zervanos said.

© 2004 Animal News Center, Inc.