Groundhog
Marmota monax
Mammalia
COMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- 3-6 yrs
- Size
- Medium
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Social
- Solitary
- Biome
- Temperate grassland
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Burrowing
- Breeding
- Live Birth
- Defense
- Burrowing
- Status
- Common
About
The groundhog, also called a woodchuck, is a large ground squirrel that digs extensive burrow systems and is North America's most famous hibernator, entering true hibernation with its heart rate dropping from about 80 beats per minute to as low as 5.
Life cycle
- 1.newborn pupA blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
- 2.juvenileA weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
- 3.adultFully grown and self-sufficient.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Marmota
- Species
- Marmota monax