Groundhogs February 8, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in mammals.Tags: Family Sciuridae, Groundhog, Marmot, Marmot momax, Order Rodentia, rodents, Squirrel, Whistling Pig, Woodchuck
trackback
OK, I’ll admit it. I was pretty surprised to learn that groundhogs are squirrels. Somehow, this chunky fellow who spends most of his time on or under the ground is just so different from the arborial squirrels that it would never occur to me to put them in the same family… Still… they do have that post-orbital process… so go figure!
Of all our western New York squirrels, this one is largest and has the most names. Groundhog and Woodchuck, of course. The Latin name Marmota momax undoubtedly led to the common name Marmot, and its tendency to make a shrill whistling sound when it is startled led to Whistling Pig.
Total Length: 21-26 inches
Tail Length: 4-6 inches
Weight: 5-11 pounds
Average Lifespan: 2.5-3 years
Groundhogs are true hibernators and “sleep” in underground tunnels from October through March or April. (Yeah, and they don’t come out on February 2nd, either…) When they emerge, they eat bark, buds, and twigs until their preferred food of grasses and herbaceous plants are plentiful. Farmers and gardeners know that they are pretty fond of food crops, too. And as you can see from Ruth‘s photo at right, Groundhogs CAN climb trees!
It is always fun seeing these large rodents up in trees!
Squirrels???????
You kidding me???
Seriously? They are considered squirrels!
I never would have thought the groundhog could climb trees. I’ll keep my eyes open. Great post.
Oh wow– thanks for teaching me a surprising lesson this morning!
I’m getting such a kick out of these learning posts. Seeing the groundhog in a tree, I can see a bit of squirrel in him.
Thanks!
I’m glad you all are having fun reading these posts, cuz I’m having fun writing them.
I DID know groundhogs could climb trees – I watched it happen in my own backyard once. But I DIDN’T know they were squirrels. Wowza! Keep bringin’ the knowledge, Jennifer, I can’t get enough of it. I’ve tried, very briefly, to research the whole pointy post orbital process thing, because I’m intrigued by its purpose, too (as someone mentioned in the post before this). Let us know if YOU find out any other info about it.
Interesting – but aren’t western marmots different from groundhogs?
Wow! I had no idea they were squirrels. At least they leave my bird feeders alone, even if they can climb trees.