HELENA — Groundhog Day is almost here and although we do not have groundhogs in the Treasure State we do have some close relatives like the marmot, ground squirrels and prairie dogs.
Kristina Smucker, the non-game bureau chief for Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks explains, “So groundhogs are cousins to our marmots here in Montana and they are the largest member of the squirrel family and we have sixteen species of squirrels here in Montana.”
(Watch the video to learn more about marmots, ground squirrels and prairie dogs)
In Montana, there are two types of marmots, the yellow bellied and hoary, mostly found in alpine areas like Glacier National Park.
The main difference between Phil and his Montana cousins are that groundhogs live in the east and marmots are from the west.
“Some other species that folks might refer to as groundhogs or woodchucks could be the Columbian ground squirrel which occurs west of the divide and east of the divide Richardson’s ground squirrel and then of course black tailed prairie dogs,” Smucker says.
Although these animals may get confused with each other, marmots weigh around four pounds unlike others in the squirrel family that sit at a pound or less.
Most members of the family hibernate during the winter months with the exception of the prairie dog.
Although marmots do not have a meteorology degree they do know the weather pretty well.
Smucker says, “Temperatures are cueing them to wake up and so they will wake up from hibernation more often and they will come up to see if there is any food around.”
But why is Groundhog Day celebrated in February?
Marmots and groundhogs alike hibernate beginning around September and emerge in February to socialize and find a mate.
“Some folks say that Groundhog Day is a lot more like Valentine’s Day for marmots,” Smucker says.
These creatures can teach us more than what the forecast is, like how to be prepared and to take things slow.
Smuckers says, “Ground squirrels and others that hibernate just show us a different way of getting through the year when resources are slim.”
Groundhog Day is on Sunday, February 2nd.
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