Happy Groundhogs Day! Groundhogs, whistle-pigs, mouse-bear, land-beaver, or woodchucks.... no matter what you call them, they are so much more than just weather forecasters on Groundhog Day! I particularly love woodchuck for their big personalities, but they also play an important role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. A woodchuck's burrowing and tunneling aerates soil, and provides homes to shelter other species. By controlling the overgrowth of invasive plants through their voracious appetite, they promote biodiversity. Woodchucks/groundhogs are also true hibernators, some of the only in North America. Entering a deep sleep from late fall to early spring, their body temperature drops from around 99°F to as low as 37°F. Their heart rate slows from about 80 beats per minute to just 5, allowing them to survive the winter without eating. Woodchuck tunneling does pose problems for farmers, ranchers, and gardeners... but they are an important part of our ecosystem and deserve some love and appreciation. Pictured in this video is our old friend Tika the woodchuck. Fingers crossed she will be coming out of hibernation soon!
#wildliferehabber #wildliferehabilitation #groundhogsday #animalrescue #animalfacts #woodchuck #whistlepig #marmot #groundhog