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"Okay, so I'm not your average woodchuck, but my friends at The
Humane Society of the United States tell my story so well, we thought
it would be best to ask them to tell it again here at the Woodchuck
Café. I like the part that says "they posses a certain
wisdom." I would agree with that."
— Woodchuck
Woodchucks
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.
Copyright © 2003 The Humane Society of the United States. All
rights reserved.
Re-printed on greentreks.org with permission from the Humane Society
of the United States.
Lend your support by visiting
their site and getting to know all they do for woodchucks and
other animal friends.
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