It belongs to the marmot family

Origin and history:

The word "woodchuck" comes from Native American Algonquian languages, possibly the Cree word "wuchak" or "otchek", or the Ojibwa word "otchig".

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Cultural significance and modern usage:

A popular American tradition is observed every year on the second day of February. For some, this means watching the 1993 Harold Ramis movie Groundhog Day, in which Bill Murray plays a meteorologist who has to deal with the holiday repeating itself over and over again. Others prefer to celebrate the holiday itself, which is traditionally seen as a day that means six more weeks of winter if it's sunny or an early spring if it's cloudy. In the 1860s, people celebrated "Woodchuck Day," which is a variation of "Groundhog Day." The name never caught on.

This ritual, which usually involves watching the Marmota monax when it sees (or doesn't see) its own shadow, goes back to the first half of the 19th century. The first time we know of Groundhog Day being used was in the early 1850s.

Although the previous name of February 2nd is unknown, it appears that the holiday was well-known by the time it began to be known as Groundhog Day. El Día de la Marmota was well-known, as evidenced by the numerous early citations of this use.

Interesting facts:

• Woodchucks are excellent diggers - their burrows can be quite complex.
• They hibernate during winter.
• Even though they look chubby and slow, Woodchucks can climb trees to escape predators or survey their surroundings.

Examples from literature:

• Although bellowing that Beetle was stupid as a woodchuck and clumsy as a donkey in a dress, the midwife allowed the girl to help her into the cottage and onto her straw bed.- The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
• Seen from a car window, they appear as fragments, evoking memories of woodchucks, badgers, skunks, voles, snakes, sometimes the mysterious wreckage of a deer.- The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas
• We watched a brown animal about the size of a woodchuck run silkily down the rocks.-The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

Synonyms:

• Groundhog
• Marmot
• Whistler
• Marmota monax
• Groundhog
• Marmota

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