Fast Facts: Did u know????

• Woodchuck and groundhog are common terms for the same animal
• Scientific name for the Groundhog is Marmota monax
• All groundhogs have 22 teeth.
• Groundhogs hibernate one to a burrow, with at least two doorways.
• They feed heavily in summer, storing fat for winter hibernation
• Groundhogs can lose 50 per cent of their body weight in hibernation. Their maximum size is 10 kilograms
• .Males emerge earlier than females each spring.
• They can both swim and climb trees, and have a top speed of 15 kilometers an hour.
• Groundhogs in the wild eat green plants, such as dandelion greens, clover, plantain and grasses
• Groundhogs look up from their feeding on an average of once every 12 seconds
• So how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? About 318 kg
• They spend up to 20% of their time sitting erect on their haunches, scanning their surroundings for approaching predators.
• They are munched on by a variety of species from foxes, coyotes, cougar and great horned owls, to domestic dogs.
• Groundhog Day was once celebrated by ancient Celts. It's halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox.
• Farrah Fawcett, Tom Smothers, James Joyce, Graham Nash, Christie Brinkley and Wiarton Willie's handler, Sam Brouwer were all born on Groundhog Day.