In the year 1743, Mark Catesby, an English naturalist visiting the Carolinas, came upon a mammal that had not yet been classified in the New World. He named it monax, an Indian name that literally means “digger”. A very similar animal living in Alpine Europe already had the Linnea classification Marmot, so the full species classification became Marmota Monax, loosely translated as mountain rat digger. Today, we know this animal by a number of names – woodchuck, groundhog, whistler, whistler-pig and of course, Punxsutawney Phil of Groundhog Day fame, fabled for predicting winter’s late demise or spring’s early arrival. I’m sure there are more names.
Marmota Monas inhabits much of the eastern half of North American and is also found in Canada, Labrador and even Alaska. There are as many as 31 sub-species with names that usually correspond to geographic locations that include the Kansas, Maryland, Labrador and British Columbia or the red-belied, yellow-belied and Hoary that refer to coat color. Western varieties are larger than those living in the eastern half of the continent and sport slightly different color variations.
Woodchucks are handsome, stout animals and the largest members of the rodentia or squirrel family. With short legs, they are powerfully built and low to the ground, about 18” long with a 6-7” tail and weigh an average of 12-13 pounds for adults. From a distance, their moderately long fur appears to be solid brown but actually is a more grizzled brown with a gray to reddish wash.
Marmots have a total of 22 creamy white teeth that grow at a rate of 1/16” per week, except during hibernation. Constant grinding while eating keeps them in check, however if malocclusion occurs, the teeth will continue to grow in a circular pattern, often rendering the animal unable to eat and frequently fatally piercing the skull.
The keen eyes, small round ears and nose sit on a flat plane at the top of a broad skull, allowing the animal a safety check of the surrounding area without being seen before advancing from the borrow. When digging, the ears close to keep out dirt. Normally sitting on its haunches to eat, it slowly ambles or waddles along on flat feet. Although the thumb on the front feet is rudimentary, each foot has 5 toes and curved claws. If threatened, a woodchuck may give a shrill whistle and gallop at 6-8 mph back to its den for safety. If cornered, it may growl and grind its teeth, warning the attacker and will bite.
Marmota Monax are not gregarious, social animals. They live out their lives in solitude, spending considerable time in a den or burrow that they excavate themselves – under buildings, next to highways, beneath tree roots or stone walls, among rocks or where they have access to clover and grassy meadows. Woodchucks may have two dens, one for winter in wooded areas on sloping ground and another for summer in an open, flat or gently rolling landscape. After locating a suitable site, the woodchuck begins loosening the soil with its claws and chopping through roots with its teeth creating a burrow 4 to 6 feet deep and extending 10 to 45feet. The burrow includes turnaround areas, up to 5 alternate routes for escaping or descending to safety and even a chamber for depositing waste. Connecting tunnels lead up and down to prevent flooding and are lined with grasses and leaves. A mound of fresh earth surrounds main entrances.
As the name monad or digger suggests, woodchucks can bury themselves from view in a minute.. In winter when woodchucks are hibernating in a side chamber and oblivious to other activity, the stripped skunk, eastern cottontail, raccoon, Virginia opossum, for or coyote may use other areas of the den for shelter. Although woodchucks are supreme earth movers, they are also good swimmers and can climb trees.