In preparation for hibernation, they will fatten up to reach their maximum weight shortly before entering the winter sleep because they’ll lose as much as half their body weight by February only to emerge from hibernation with some remaining body fat to live on until food is abundant again.ĭuring hibernation, their heart rate will drop to 4–10 beats per minute and the breathing rate falls to an amazing one breath every six minutes! I already mentioned that woodchucks hibernate from October to March or April. In the traditional definition of hibernation, woodchucks are considered the largest “true hibernators” because bears, instead of hibernating, fall into a deep sleep called torpor. RELATED: Boop! These Are The Cutest Rodents In The World Woodchuck Hibernation Facts It’s like someone waking you up at 3 am to catch that early red-eye flight.Īll kidding aside, woodchucks do come out of hibernation a bit early, to scope out the neighborhood and potential partners only to return back to burrow to sleep some more.
If Phil sees his shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to his den and winter will persist for 6 more weeks but if he does not see his shadow because of cloudiness spring will arrive early. RELATED: Top 10 Largest Rodents In The WorldĪs you may have noticed, woodchucks or groundhogs, usually come out of hibernation in March or April but The Groundhog Day ceremony is held on February 2 which means that the officials yank Punxsutawney Phil groundhog out of his sleep and his burrow and present the poor fella to massive crowds to observe if he will see his shadow or not. They prepare for hibernation by adding massive weight that will sustain them until March or April when they come out of hibernation and emerge from their winter burrows.
#Raccoon hibernation facts movie#
The movie is now a cult classic and is one of my favorite movies of all time.īut let’s get back to our question at hand…ĭo woodchucks hibernate? Yes, they are obligate hibernators that will enter hibernation at the same time every year, in October, regardless of outside temperature and food availability. They’ve been popularised by The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania, on February 2 of each year, centering around a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, and by the movie Groundhog Day from 1993. The whistlepig, chuck, whistler, monax, weenusk, red monk, thickwood badger, siffleux, groundpig or wood-shock are all names for woodchucks. Woodchucks or groundhogs ( Marmota monax) go by many, often funny names. For some a pest or a nuisance, for others, like me, a fascinating and adorable animal from the squirrel family.
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