By Debra Firmani
When I see woodchucks basking in the sun, foraging
contentedly for wildflowers or surveying the landscapes over
which they preside, sometimes I think they possess a certain
wisdom about how to enjoy life.
Indeed, if happiness is measured in terms of flourishing,
then woodchucks—you may know them as groundhogs or
whistle-pigs—are the envy of the animal kingdom. Few wildlife
species have found human alteration of the landscape as easy to
accommodate as has the woodchuck; in fact, in some ways they
have actually benefited from living near us.
The growth of our farms and neighborhoods has created more
woodland edges, the woodchuck's preferred habitat, and they
find great quantities of delicious food in our fields and
gardens. No wonder they generally live in harmony beside
us.
Well, almost. Their burrows under our decks and outbuildings
have not endeared the woodchuck to some, and their eating
habits—dining on our flowers, fruits, and vegetables—have
inspired harsh retaliation from farmers and gardeners.
Though woodchucks prosper in our midst, they generally try
to avoid humans. These large rodents fill an important niche in
their ecosystem. For instance, their abandoned burrows provide
homes for skunks, foxes, weasels, opossums, and rabbits.
Woodchucks are not large, but they're powerful tunnelers.
Their husky bodies measure 16–20 inches long, excluding their
dark, bushy tails; they weigh five to 15 pounds; and their
coarse, brown fur is sprinkled with gray. Strong and active,
woodchucks can swim, climb trees, and dig amazing burrow
systems, some as deep as five feet and as long as 30 feet, with
multiple tunnels and chambers.
Woodchucks have other unique skills. They are able to
manipulate objects with their paws because they have thumb
stumps with claws. Woodchucks communicate with one another
using a variety of sounds, including a shrill alarm whistle
(hence the moniker whistle-pig) to warn one another of
approaching predators.
Woodchucks hibernate from October through February, so they
eat heavily during the fall, sometimes doubling their weight.
During hibernation, their body temperature drops to 40°F, and
their hearts beat only four to ten times per minute. When they
awaken, they immediately begin eating, and the mating season
commences as soon as they have regained their strength. After a
30-day gestation period, a litter of four to six young is born
and then nursed for six weeks. By late summer, young woodchucks
are ready to live on their own.
Woodchucks are found primarily in the eastern United States,
from Maine down to Georgia and Alabama, into the Midwest, and
throughout most of Canada. In states west of the Great Plains,
the woodchuck's relative, the yellow-bellied marmot, is common,
but this animal avoids residential areas.
Ideal accommodations for woodchucks are found in woodlots
and hedgerows, as well as near hayfields, pastures, and
meadows. They prefer land with loose, pebbly soil—the easier to
dig their large underground burrows. They feed on grass,
berries, fruits, vegetables, and cereal crops. Woodchucks are
especially fond of peas, beans, and corn, and they will climb
trees in pursuit of apples and pawpaws.
Debra Firmani is the former editor of The HSUS's Wild
Neighbors News.
