The Groundhog of
By Henry
animals.nationalgeographic.com
A Groundhog Day Song
Away
in a meadow all covered with snow
The little old groundhog looks for his shadow
The clouds in the sky determine our fate
If winter will leave us all early or late
http://ourworld.cs.com/DonaldRHalley/ghdsongs.htm
Ever
hear of Groundhog Day? Many people
believe that when a groundhog comes out of his hole, if he sees his shadow
there will be six more weeks of winter.
I believe this too! I will tell
you about groundhogs. In this report I
will explain how they look, what their diet is, how they defend themselves, how
they get around, how they are raised, and many other interesting facts.
What is a groundhog?
It is a furry animal that burrows underground. A lot of people think they are related to the
squirrel. It is a type of rodent but it
really belongs to the marmot family.
Groundhogs sleep, tend their young, and live and hibernate during the
winter in their burrows. Groundhogs are
about the size of a cat. Their ears are
small and round. The fur is dark brown
and gray or black. Their legs are short
and strong. Their claws are sharp. Groundhogs need their sharp claws for
digging.
Groundhogs, or woodchucks can nip. They run into their hole to get away from
dogs, coyotes, hawks, wolves, bears, lynx, cougars, bobcats and foxes. Even humans can be their enemies.
If a woodchuck could chuck wood, he would chuck about seven
hundred pounds! I liked learning that
they were mammals. I was able to watch
the mother and her cubs together in a video.
I like that they run around on their short, little legs!
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by Deb Gurwicz, Orchard School Faculty Member
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Last Updated: 10/30/07