GROUNDHOG, or WHISTLE-PIG (Marmota monax), stout-bodied marmot of the family Sciuridae (order Rodentia). Woodchucks are black-footed, reddish-brown or brown animals, ranging from 42 to 51 cm (17 to 20 inches) in length, with 10- to 15-centimetre (4- to 6-inch) tails. They weigh between 2 and 6 kg (4 and 14 pounds). Found from the eastern and central United States northward across Canada and into Alaska, woodchucks are animals of open fields and woodland edges, where they feed mainly on low green vegetation. They are mainly terrestrial but are good swimmers and climbers. They feed heavily in summer, storing fat to see them through their winter hibernation. They are also excellent diggers, constructing a burrow with a main entrance and an escape tunnel. Woodchucks are solitary except during the spring, when litters of four to five young are born. The young stay with the mother for about two months.

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