Also called the woodchuck (and, no, we don't know how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood), the genus is more commonly called "groundhog," so named because, like a pig, it roots in the earth. We don't know why some call it "whistlepig," however, because nowhere has it been recorded that these things can whistle. We do know that the name "woodchuck" is the English corruption of an Indian name for the animal.
The groundhog is a type of marmot, and what marmots are, essentially, are very large squirrels. Squirrels root in the earth to bury acorns for storage. This seldom bothers people because squirrels, having quite small paws, dig only tiny holes. Woodchucks, having large paws, dig big holes, not to bury acorns but to build tunnels to live in, and they will dig them in any relatively flat area, including your lawn. This makes them nuisances to those who prefer having lawns that are un-besmirched by groundhog burrows.
Groundhog Facts:
Why they're a Nuisance
Some more things that make groundhogs unwelcome:
* They love to eat vegetation, and that includes vegetation that the owner of the groundhog-besmirched lawn has planted for their eating and/or viewing pleasure
* Their tunnels are rather extensive and complex, having many entrances and emergency exits; if a web of tunnels extends under a structure's foundation, they can crack, weaken, or even sink it.
* A horse or other large animal can break a leg from stepping in a groundhog hole.
By clearing out forests and killing off wolves and other natural predators, farmers and foresters have caused the groundhog to proliferate over the past century. Now that human habitation is spreading beyond cities and suburbs, homeowners face close encounters with these buck-toothed fur-balls. Whereas the not-so-little varmints (they can weigh up to 30 pounds) still fear their ancient predators, many of whom are no longer around, they aren't all that afraid of humans. Therefore, hunters can get close enough to get an easy shot at Mr. Woodchuck.
Hunting, you would think, would keep groundhog populations in check. It doesn't, any more than it keeps the deer population in check. These rodents reproduce faster than marksmen could possibly eliminate them, and hunting, as a sport, has declined in popularity over the past few decades. Besides, if you're going to hunt something, why not hunt something you can eat?
Not that you can't eat groundhog. Apparently it was pretty common to be served at rural dinner tables back in the 19th Century, and people in the Ozarks and Appalachia still eat squirrel, a cousin of the groundhog. But groundhogs hibernate in the winter; therefore, much of its body's bulk is food stored away in the form of fat, making the creature rather greasy eating. Besides, they're also cousins of the rat, and in western society, there is a taboo against eating rats.
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