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GROUNDHOG DAY: A Few Fun Facts |
What's it all about? According to popular legend, the groundhog -- or woodchuck -- emerges from his winter hibernation on Groundhog Day, traditionally celebrated on February 2nd. If the day is sunny and the groundhog sees his shadow, he expects storms will come and retreats back inside to hibernate for six more weeks of winter. If it is overcast and he does not see a shadow, he expects moderate weather and remains above ground as spring is near! (FYI: The famous Punxsutawney Phil groundhog has seen his shadow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter, 90 percent of the time going all the way back to 1887).
The groundhog's reputation as a weather prophet came to the U.S. in the mid-18th century with German immigrants known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. They had regarded the badger as the winter-spring barometer, and re-assigned the job to the groundhog after importing their traditions to the U.S. The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2, 1886, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
Celestially speaking, February 2nd is a "cross-quarter" day, about halfway between the winter solstice in December and the vernal equinox in March, and is celebrated in some cultures as the mid-point of winter. It's not far from the time many groundhogs end their hibernation anyway, around the second week of February.
Woodchuck and groundhog are common terms for the same animal, the rodent with the scientific name of Marmota monax. Most closely related to squirrels, woodchucks can climb trees and also swim.
The groundhog's internal clock is believed to be affected by annual changes in the amount of daylight. Hormonal responses to cyclic changes in production of melatonin, a sleep-related hormone, are thought by some to be the signal to wake up.
About 700 pounds. Compared to beavers, groundhogs/woodchucks are not adept at moving timber, although some will chew wood. A wildlife biologist once measured the inside volume of a typical woodchuck burrow and estimated that if wood filled the hole instead of dirt the industrious animal would have chucked about 700 pounds' worth. |
