Groundhog
Appearance
The groundhog is a stocky rodent and measures up to 66 cm in height, weighing up to 15 pounds. His thick hair may vary from brown, black and brown. This mammal has small round ears, a long tail and short powerful limbs.
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Life Cycle
After a gestation period of 28 to 32 days, the female gives birth to between 2 and 9 babies. In captivity groundhogs can live up to 10 years, but in the wild its lifespan is about 5 years due to the lack of food and water, diseases, predators and other environmental factors.
Habitat and Food
The groundhog is a skilled digger of underground tunnels. This rodent can move up to 250 kg of soil in a few days to build his burrow. It mainly feeds on green plants such as clover, dandelion, plantain and alfalfa but can also feed on insects, bark and from a fruit and vegetable garden.
Undesirable Effects
The groundhog’s underground galleries can cause heavy damage to residential properties. The groundhog may also damage gardens and eat the vegetables.
Signs of Presence
Holes and piles of earth and stone often indicate the presence of a groundhog. Also, this rodent can make a whistling sound; a warning of eminent danger.