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Woodchuck
Marmota monax
Description: 5-14 pounds. Heavy-bodied with small ears and short legs.
Range: Alaska, most of southern Canada, Idaho, Kansas,North Dakota to Virginia and Alabama.
Habitat: Woods, brushy ravines, rocky slopes.
Diet: Vegetation, including grasses, clover, alfalfa, corn.
Vocalizations: Whistle when alarmed, chatters its teeth when angered. Also hisses, squeals and growls.
Hibernation: Puts on a layer of fat in early fall. It curls up in a ball on a mat of grass in a hibernation chamber within the burrow. The body temperature falls from almost 97 to less than 40. Breathing slows to once every 6 minutes. The heartbeat drops from over 100 beats per minute to 4.
Reproduction: After a 4 week gestation, 4-5 hairless and blind babies are born in April or May. The young emerge from the burrow at one month old.
General Information: Also known as a groundhog. This sun-loving animal is active in the day, especially early morning and late afternoon. Good swimmer and climber. The burrows are up to 5 feet deep and 30 feet long. The name woodchuck comes from a Cree Indian word “wuchak”.