Woodchuck or Groundhog (eMammal Virginia Camera Trap Field Guide)

Woodchuck or Groundhog

Marmota monax

Description ⁴

"Also known as the Groundhog or the Whistle-pig, the Woodchuck thrives in forest borders through much of the eastern United States, across Canada, and into Alaska. Socially, Woodchucks live singly from the time they are weaned at six weeks of age. They are diurnal vegetarians, consuming clover, dandelion, chickweed, alfalfa, sorrel, beans, peas, grains, grasses, and other plants. In their burrows, they sleep through the night, raise their young, and spend the winter in hibernation. When it is hibernating, the Woodchuck's body temperature drops almost to the air temperature in its den and its heartbeat slows from 75 beats per minute to about 4. Curled into a tight ball, with its head between its front legs, it seems to be dead."

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account

Physical Description ⁵

Woodchucks are stocky in appearance and often stand up on their hind legs, making them look tall. Their pelage varies greatly in color but ranges from gray to cinnamon to dark brown. Their body is covered with white-tipped guard hairs giving them a grizzled appearance. Their paws vary in color from a typical black to dark brown in most subspecies. However, one subspecies has paws that appear pink. Their short bushy tail is often black to dark brown and is 20 to 25% their total body length. They weigh from 2 to 6 kg, range from 415 to 675 mm in total length, and have tails that range from 100 to 160 mm in length. Although males and females are the same color, males are larger than females. Woodchucks have white teeth, which is uncharacteristic of rodents, and a dental formula of 1/1, 0/0, 2/1, 3/3, for a total of 22 teeth. They have rounded ears that can cover the external auditory canal which prevents dirt from entering the ear canal while burrowing.

Range mass: 2 to 6 kg.

Range length: 415 to 675 mm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

Average basal metabolic rate: 3.696 W.

Sources and Credits

(c) Cephas, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Marmota_monax_UL_01.jpg
(c) Tim Hite, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tim Hite
(c) Reinhard Kraasch, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/RK_0808_273_Marmota_monax.jpg
(c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/16146894
Adapted by Liesl Erb from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31404894

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

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