Marmota monax 285size: Female—Mass 3526 g (n = 410) year-round.
Male—Mass 3826 g (n = 433) year-round.
Both sexes—HB 418–665 mm; T 100–155 mm.
distribution: Woodchucks range widely from central
Alaska (USA) eastward through central and eastern Canada
and southward into the southeastern USA.
geographic variation: Nine subspecies are recognized.
M. m. monax—throughout the southern portion of the range
in the USA. This form tends to be relatively pale gray
brown, suff used with buff on the dorsum, with a whitish
buff to pale venter.
M. m. bunkeri—extreme southwestern portion of the range,
in Kansas and Nebraska (USA). This is a large form that
tends to be relatively pale gray brown suff used with buff
on the dorsum; the venter is whitish buff to pale ochre.
M. m. canadensis—throughout most of Canada (from the
Northwest Territories to Québec) and into the northeast-
ern USA. This is a small-bodied form, with a strong red-
dish cast on the dorsum and venter.
M. m. ignava—northern Québec and Labrador (Canada).
This is a large form that is a dark orange cinnamon color
frosted with buff.
M. m. johnsoni—endemic to extreme southeastern Québec,
on the south bank of the St. Lawrence Seaway (Canada).
The hairs on the back are vinaceous cinnamon, turning
to orange cinnamon on the shoulders and fl anks. The tail
and ventral surface of body are cinnamon rufous. The
throat is tawny colored.
M. m. ochracea—Alaska (USA) and northwestern Canada. It
is a strong reddish brown on the dorsum, with a lighter
venter and a pinkish cinnamon tail.
M. m. preblorum—throughout the New England region
(northeastern USA). This form is a medium-sized wood-
chuck with a pale reddish hue on the dorsum; the venter
is pinkish cinnamon.
M. m. pretensis—British Columbia (Canada) and the extreme
northwestern USA. It has a strong reddish color above
and below.
M. m. rufescens—eastern prairies of the Dakotas east through
the northern Great Lakes (USA) and southeastern On-
tario (Canada) into New England (USA). This subspecies
tends to be more reddish to pinkish buff on the dorsum
and venter.conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.habitat: M. monax inhabit old fi elds, meadows, meadow-
forest ecotones, hedgerows, orchards, the edges of crop-
lands, highway roadsides, and urban parklands.natural history: This species is diurnal, although some
crepuscular and even nocturnal aboveground activity has
been reported in urban areas. Woodchucks hibernate alone
in burrows, maintaining body temperatures that are slightly
above those of the burrow and cycling through bouts of tor-
por and arousal. They emerge after two to six months, in
midspring; the leng th of hibernation is positively correlated
with latitude. Burrows are relatively simple, and they can be
located in open fi elds or in adjacent deciduous or mixed
forests. In urban settings, burrows can be located under
human structures, such as buildings or bridges. Groundhog
(= woodchuck) Day in the USA and Canada is celebrated on
February 2; the myth suggests that if a woodchuck emerges
on that day and sees its shadow, this predicts a delayed
spring. The roots of this holiday are found in several Euro-
pean countries, where Candlemas Day dates from 300 to 500
BC and is the day when Christians celebrated the purifi ca-
tion of the Virgin Mary; the celebration traditionally oc-
curred halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal
equinox. This time period is also of signifi cance for spring
planting in Europe: the emergence of hibernating animals
such as hedgehogs and badgers (Meles meles) was believed toMarmota monax. Photo courtesy Lisa H. Ware.