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Animal profile

Groundhog

Marmota monax

MammaliaWoodland edges, old fields, hedgerows and roadside vergesLeast Concern

Field profile

The groundhog, or woodchuck, is a large ground squirrel that digs extensive burrows with separate summer and winter chambers. It is a true hibernator, spending several months underground in a state of profoundly lowered metabolism. It feeds mainly on grasses, forbs and crops.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-07-03

Groundhog

A hibernating groundhog runs near freezing

In deep hibernation a groundhog's core temperature falls to within a few degrees of its burrow, its heartbeat drops from roughly a hundred beats a minute to a handful, and it breathes only a few times a minute. It is not sleeping; it is running a different metabolism.

Read with evidence →

Groundhog | Daily Animal Facts