Ground Hog Facts

• A groundhog is called a woodchuck.

• A woodchuck is a kind of marmot.

• Woodchucks live in the Eastern and Midwestern United States.

• A person can tell when spring will come by watching what a woodchuck does on Ground-Hog Day, February 2.

• Several subspecies of woodchucks live in North America.

• The woodchuck is about 2 feet [61 centimeters] long including its bushy tail, and its broad, flat head.

• Its coarse fur is grayish-brown on the upper parts of its body and yellowish-orange on the under parts.

• Its burrow (or underground house) may have several rooms and two to three entrances.

• It is to clumsy to climb trees.

• Its favorite food is clover.

• When a groundhog hibernates its heart slows down, breathing nearly stops, its body gets cold, and it uses its stored body fat for energy.

• A groundhog has two layers of fur. The outside layer keeps water out and the inside layer keeps in body heat.

• It is a member of the squirrel family.