He’s kind of like Santa Claus. There’s only one day a year when Punxsutawney Phil, the “prognosticating groundhog,” is called upon to do his job and today was it.
This morning, amidst much pomp and circumstance in front of thousands on Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle members John Griffiths and Ben Hughes pulled Phil from his burrow. If he saw his shadow and made a dash back to his hovel, we’re in for six more weeks of winter. If he didn’t and instead lingered outside, Spring’s on the way.
So what happened? Did he dash or loiter?
According to Phil: It’s going to be an early spring!
But Phil’s Not the Only Groundhog Forecaster
He might be world-famous and perhaps the most renowned groundhog (thanks to a 1993 movie that featured Punxsutawney’s Groundhog Day celebrations), but he’s not the only one in search of his shadow today. There are over a dozen others, among them: Dunkirk Dave from Dunkirk, New York; Staten Island Chuck of New York City acclaim; Stormy, who calls the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago his home; and Wiarton Willie hailing from Wiarton, Ontario, Canada.
But of course, there’s always got to be one critter that breaks the mold. Claude the Crawfish from Louisiana is it. He comes out not so much to predict how much more winter is in store as to indicate whether the weather will be favorable for Mardi Gras partying or not.
Groundhog Facts
• Woodchuck is another name for groundhog. So is whistlepig.
• Groundhogs are rodents and members of the Sciuridae family, which consists of other large ground squirrels known as marmots.
• Groundhogs are rather large, about 20 inches long, and weigh anywhere from 12 to 15 pounds. (According to Punxsutawney Phil’s official website, he weighs in at about 20 pounds.)
• Groundhogs are herbivores and prefer to eat lots of veggies like lettuce, spinach, cabbage, beans and peas, zucchini squash, cucumbers, and berries. (Which can be a nightmare for home gardeners planting such crops.)
• Groundhogs live in burrows beneath the earth. (They’re very skilled diggers, which is also why they don’t make fast friends with gardeners –fences can’t keep them out!)
• Even though they have short, stubby legs, they can move surprisingly fast.
• Groundhogs whistle when they’re spooked. (Hence the whistlepig name.)
• Surprising fact: Groundhogs are clean! They’re actually resistant to many plague epidemics that destroy other wild animals (and that have been known to be transmitted to humans). However, they can contract rabies and have been known to get quite aggressive in the final stages.
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