Groundhog or Woodchuck?

It’s both!

The groundhog (Marmota monax), is also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or a land-beaver.

This animal is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America and common in the northeastern and central United States as well as Canada. Groundhogs are found as far north as Alaska, with their habitat extending southeast to Georgia.

The groundhog is the largest sciurid in its geographical range, typically measuring 16 to 26 inches long (including a 6 inch tail) and weighing 4 to 9 lbs. In areas with fewer natural predators and large amounts of alfalfa, groundhogs can grow to 30 inches and 31 lbs. Groundhogs are well adapted for digging, with short but powerful limbs and curved, thick claws. Unlike other sciurids, the groundhog’s spine is curved, more like that of a mole, and the tail is comparably shorter as well—only about one-fourth of body length. Suited to their temperate habitat, groundhogs are covered with two coats of fur: a dense grey undercoat and a longer coat of banded guard hairs that gives the groundhog its distinctive “frosted” appearance.

In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years, with two or three being average. In captivity, groundhogs are reported to live from 9–14 years. Common predators for groundhogs include wolves, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, bears, large hawks, and dogs. Young groundhogs are often at risk for predation by snakes, which easily enter the burrow.

Mostly herbivorous, groundhogs primarily eat wild grasses and other vegetation, including berries and agricultural crops, when available. Groundhogs also eat grubs, grasshoppers, insects, snails and other small animals, but are not as omnivorous as many other Sciuridae. Like squirrels, they also have been observed sitting up eating nuts such as shagbark hickory, but unlike squirrels, do not bury them for future use. Groundhogs hydrate through eating leafy plants rather than drinking from a water source.

Learn more at Wikipedia.com.