Groundhogs

Groundhogs are rodents belonging to a family of Sciuridae. So, when someone asks if you are groundhogs rodents, then you can answer them as yes. The scientific name of groundhog is Marmota Monax. They are commonly known as woodchuck and their family Sciuridae comes under a group of large ground squirrels which are known as marmots. It thrives in lowland habitats and is most commonly found in North America. It is found in the regions of eastern United States, in Canada and also in Alaska. The scientific classification of a groundhog was first done by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. An image of a groundhog rodent is given below:

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Groundhogs - General Description 

As the groundhog normally lives on the ground in open land areas and lowlands, it is an exception amongst the group of marmots or squirrels in which they are classified. The other marmots normally live in rocky and mountainous areas. Groundhogs are very important as they play a giant role in maintaining the health of the soil in lowland and woodland as well as plain areas. Due to its habit of digging burrows and holes it is considered an important habitat engineer. The groundhogs generally prefer to live alone amongst the entire species of marmots. They usually live together with each other only and their social structure is also different in different populations. Yet groundhogs usually do not form any stable long-term pair bonds. Even during the mating season the male-female interactions are also limited. The adult males and females in some places such as Ohio form an association with each throughout the year and may carry that association year after year. They are extremely intelligent animals and are known to form complex social relationships. They are also able to understand the social behavior which is also observed from the kinship with their young ones. They understand and also communicate the threats and dangers by whistling and working together to solve problems such as burrowing. 

The adult groundhogs rodents vary between 41.8 cm to 68.5 cm in length. This length also includes the length of its tail which is 9.5 cm to 18.7 cm and can weigh between 2 and 6.3 kgs. The male of this species are on average slightly larger than the females. Also, when they are coming out of a period of hibernation they are normally heavier as compared to before hibernation. The adult male species have an average weight of 3.83 kgs. In spring their weight is between 3.1 kg to 5 kg whereas the females have an average weight of 3.53 kg with the spring weight in between 3 kg to 4.8 kg. These seasonal variations show the regular annual cycle of changes and the use of fat. After the first two or three annual cycles there is a continuous and progressive increase in their weights.

The groundhogs rodents typically have four incisor teeths that grow 1.5 mm every week. But because of their constant use, their teeth get damaged by the same amount and in the same week. Hence, this helps in keeping their teeth available for their own. Their incisors are of white to ivor-white colour and makes them distinguishable as rodents. They have short but powerful limbs which have curved and thick claws that provide them the ability to dig deep holes easily. As compared to the other members of the Sciuridae family, the groundho’s tail is shorter i.e. it is one-fourth of body length. 

Apart from these, it is also interesting to note that the groundhogs are known by many different common names. They include, chuck, wood-shock, groundpig, whistlepig, whistler, thickwood badger, Canada marmot, monax, moonack., weenusk, land beaver, and red monk. Amongst French Canadians and eastern Canadians, it is also known as siffleux. The name woodchuck comes from the english derivation woodchuck. The native american Algonquin tribe used to call them “wuchack”. The English settlers while trying to pronounce them called it woodchuck. Hence, this is the reason why are groundhogs called woodchucks.

Groundhogs- How Do They Live?

As mentioned above the groundhogs rodents like to live in lowland areas involving open country areas, edges of woodlands. Also, they rarely live very far from their burrows. But they can also be found in forests having low altitudes, small woodlots, fields, pastures and hedgerows. They construct dens in a very well drained soil. They can have different dens for winter and summer. Also, due to increased human activity in such areas has led to increase in food access and in plenty. 

When living in the wild their average life is about two or three years. In certain cases they are known to live up to six years as well. Due to human development, there are new openings along with  growing of second growth trees, areas which are also liked by the groundhogs. Also, because of such changes, the groundhogs are nearly free of predators. The only danger to them are the humans and human activities such as pest control or roadkills. Another threat to them are the mid to large sized dogs. Other than that, the animals who prey on groundhogs include coyotes, badgers, bobcats and foxes especially the red fox. These predators are able to hide themselves and stalk the groundhogs so they can the adult groundhogs outside their burrows taking them by surprise. But, badgers hunt them by digging them out from their burrows. The coyotes in particular can easily take on the groundhogs by overpowering them and then kill them.

The most common way for a groundhog to prevent themselves from being hunted is hiding in the safety of their burrow. As they enter inside, most of the predators do not enter it. Also, in their burrow environment the groundhogs can fight off with the help of their sharp claws and large incisor teeth. They are also capable of climbing up the trees if the need arises. Sometimes, they may also die because of parasites and from a disease caused by a bacteria or any vector transmitted by the bacteria. In areas having intensive agricultural activities, most of the groundhogs have been almost removed. In some of the areas, the marmots are one of the important animals for hunting activities by humans. They have been killed regularly for sport, food or fur. It is estimated that from 1964 to 1971, in the region of Kentucky about 2,67,500 of the M. Monax species of groundhogs were killed. A decline in the population of the groundhogs has been seen in the state of Illinois as well. Hence, due to such activities in the state of Wisconsin, the groundhogs have been provided a protected status.  

Lifestyle of a Groundhog

Groundhogs have a very high tendency to remain away from other organisms. They also tend to avoid any contact with human beings. This is clear from the time spent in field research while observing them is quite less as compared to the time given in total. This is because they may hide in their burrows when they see or even smell or hear any observer. Ken Armitage, a marmot researcher, says that very less studies have been done on the social biology of the groundhogs. What is known is that they are very good swimmers even though they have heavy bodies. They can also climb trees while running away from other animals. They hide in their burrows when they are afraid. If an animal attacks the burrow, the groundhog fights very hard to save itself with the help of its large teeth and front claws. 

As mentioned above groundhogs are animals who try to remain alone. Also, along with that they are strongly territorial animal. It can have small fights in order to establish dominance. They are highly alert when wandering outside burrow and not feeding actively. While feeding some individuals in numbers of one or two stand erect watching out for danger. As soon as they feel any threat, they produce a high pitched whistle. This whistle warns the rest of the members of the colony. Because of this whistling action the groundhogs are also known as "whistle-pig". They make squeal while fighting or when they are seriously injured or they are caught by a predator. Some of the other sounds that are they usually produce include low barks and a specific sound they produce by grinding their teeth. David P. Barash has seen two instances of play fighting among the woodchucks. This shows that the upright posture they use during play fighting involves requires a degree of social tolerance which is not usually seen in M. monax. Or else it can also be said that the play fighting may be a part of woodchuck's social behaviour but rarely seen because of low social tolerance. 

Groundhogs To Humans

Groundhogs are undesirable animals near farms and gardens. This is because they eat all commonly grown vegetables. Also, their burrows can weaken the foundations of the plantations which can be a problem. 

Also, the dens of groundhogs can be used by other animals such as skunks, red foxes and cotton tail rabbits. The foxes are still useful as they feed on the field mice, grasshoppers, beetles and other animals  who destroy the farm crops.  In this indirect way, the groundhogs helps the farmers. Also, the groundhogs help in turning the soil and providing fresh oxygen and improving the bringing subsoil to the surface. In many parts of the United States, the groundhogs are also considered a valuable game. Also, in some regions they are being eaten as well. 

In 1883, the New Hampshire Legislative Woodchuck Committee provides this statement about the objections against the groundhogs:

"The woodchuck, despite its deformities both of mind and body, possesses some of the amenities of a higher civilization. It cleans its face after the manner of the squirrels, and licks its fur after the manner of a cat. Your committee is too wise, however, to be deceived by this purely superficial observation of better habits. Contemporaneous with the ark, the woodchuck has not made any material progress in social science, and it is now too late to reform the wayward sinner. The average age of the woodchuck is too long to please your committee. The woodchuck is not only a nuisance, but also a bore. It burrows beneath the soil, and then chuckles to see a mowing machine, man and all, slump into one of these holes and disappear."

The committee said that " a small bounty will prove of incalculable good; at all events, even as an experiment, it is certainly worth trying; therefore your committe would respectfully recommend that the accompanying bill be passed". 

Groundhogs are known to be able to be raised in captivity i.e. in restricted areas of household or a zoo. But their agressive nature is a problem. One has to work to produce the sweet and cuddly pets out of the groundhogs whose general nature is to kill the other organisms. The ones that have been cared for in midlife rehabilitation and survive cannot be returned to the wild. They remain with their caregivers and become a source of knowledge about groundhogs. 

Groundhogs are also used in different kinds of medical research. This includes their use in hepatitis B-induced liver cancer. This is because the effects of infection by woodchuck hepatitis virus in the woodchucks is the same as the effects oberved by human hepatitis virus. This is also a great help because the only other animal models that can be used for hepatitis B virus studies is Chimpanzee, which is an endangered species. Further, woodchucks are also known for their use in biomedical research. For example, for research in metabolic function, obesity, energy balance, endocrine system, reproduction, neurology, heart diseases, cerebrovascular disease and neoplasti disease. They are also used to understand their hibernation patterns leading to the benefits of humans. This includes the lowering of the heart rate in complex surgical methods. 

The groundhog burrows have also helped in accidentally discovering two archaeological sites. These are the Ufferman Site in the US state of Ohio and the Meadowcroft Rockshelter site in Pennsylvania. This is because groundhogs favour the loose soil of the esker soil where the site usually lies. Their burrow digging has left in discovering objects such as human and animal bones, pottery and some bits of stone. There were also some remains of woodchuck founding the Indian mounds at Aztalan, Jefferson County and Wisconsin. Also, woodchucks have been an inspiration source for artwork such as Robert Frost's poem, "A Drumlin Woodchuck" which shows the imagery of a groundhog dugging into a small ridge as a metaphor for the emotional reticence.