Groundhog Day: Fun Facts

Today is Groundhog Day -- an old belief that if the sun shines on Candlemas Day, or if the groundhog sees his shadow when he emerges on February 2, six weeks of winter will ensue. To see a shadow the sun must be shinning and the groundhog has to look in the correct direction. http://www.visitpa.com/groundhog/

Six More Weeks Of Winter (If he, of course, sees his shadow...) Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! On Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, at 7:27 am this Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2004, Punxsutawney Phil, King of Groundhogs, Seer of Seers, imitated but never equaled, responded to the summons of Groundhog President Bill Cooper. Bill Deeley, his friend and Handler greeted him affectionately and placed him atop his domicile, the old oak stump. From this lofty seat he addressed the large enthusiastic throng of faithful followers, wishing them a "Happy Groundhog Day." Phil may be as cute as a Beanie Baby but when he predicts in his Groundhogese there is no maybe. He directed president Bill to the appropriate scroll, which reads: Governor Rendell joins this joyful throng of several thousand strong and he like everyone will thrill at seeing the magic on this hill as I make my prognostication and give my justification: I see my shadow beside me and that is that magic you see. It causes this midwinter revelry, six more weeks of winter there will be.

Groundhog Trivia

• How much money does Groundhog's Day generate for businesses in Punxsutawney? $15,000, $150,000 ***, or $250,000.
• What's Phil's wife's name? Phyliss ***, Fillie or Fanny.
• True or False, Punxsutawney Phil is really a woodchuck. (True, a woodchuck is another name for groundhog)
• When did Phil begin predicting weather at Gobbler's Knob? 1887 ***, 1907, or 1967.
• Spell Punxsutawney.

Call him Whistle Pig, call him Woodchuck, call him Groundhog. Whatever you call him, he's that fat little critter who gets all the attention today. Now here are the facts from The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife -- and some even stranger than the fiction that's made him famous.

• He Whistles -- No tunes, just a warning to other groundhogs. His teeth chatter, and he can growl.
• He Climbs -- If he's chased, he'll climb a tree.
• He's a Sun Worshiper -- He crawls out on a tree limb, perches on a fence post or stretches out on a rock to sunbathe.
• He makes a Dull Pet -- He eats in the summer and sleeps in the winter. In some states you need a permit to keep him, He like to bite and be mean.
• He's prone to dental problems -- He has 22 teeth, and they grow continuously. Bad overbite problem.
• He wake's up to mate -- That's usually at the end of February, and not on Groundhog Day.
• He's Vegetarian -- yep, deal with it.
• He doesn't live with other Hogs -- He may move in to mate then leave.
• He is a Home Boy -- Doesn't get more than 50 yards from his den. When he travels it's only to find a mate.
• He's homely, but it has saved his hide -- His skin has never been prized fur. His hid has been used for boot laces, and before banjo heads were made of plastic, groundhog hides were favored.

More Groundhog Day facts from Groundhog Facts

Groundhog, woodchuck -- what's the difference?Woodchuck and groundhog are common terms for the same animal, the rodent with the scientific name of Marmota monax. Most closely related to squirrels, woodchucks actually can climb trees and also swim.

What's so special about February 2?Celestially speaking, Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 is a "cross-quarter" day, about halfway between the winter solstice in December and the ver nal equinox in March, and is celebrated in some cultures as the mid point of winter. It's not far from the time many groundhogs end their hi bernation anyway, around the second week of February.

What's going on in that burrow?In the winter, not much. Groundhogs go into profound hibernation, greatly reducing their metabolic rate, and their body temperature drops to just a few degrees above ambient temperature. Because their hibernaculum, the deepest portion of the burrow where they hibernate, is below frost line, that produces a body temperature as low as 39-40 degrees F.

What's the wake-up call?The groundhog's internal clock is believed to be affected by annual changes in the amount of daylight. Hormonal responses to cyclic changes in production of melatonin, a sleep-related hormone, are thought by some to be the signal to wake up.

Why did groundhog fur coats go out of fashion?Groundhog fur never was in vogue, partly because it is not particularly thick and warm, and because the fur's grizzled grey-brown appearance is more appealing to others of their species than to people. Groundhog hairs are great for tying trout flies, such as the 'Chuck Caddis, and early American Indians once used sturdy woodchuck hides for soles of moccasins.

What's for dinner? Groundhogs in the wild eat succulent green plants, such as dandelion greens, clover, plantain and grasses. They also are tempted by nearby gar den vegetables. At Cornell, they dine on Agway Woodchuck Chow, a simi lar formulation to rabbit feed but in larger-sized pellets. Woodchucks binge and purposefully put on weight in the summer, reaching their maxi mum mass in late August. They become lethargic and prepare for hiber nation in October. By February, hibernating woodchucks have lost as much as half their body weight.