Woodchuck Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum Common Name: Woodchuck Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Sciuridae Genus: Marmota Species: monax Museum Location: Northern Illinois Diorama Description: The woodchuck varies from 16-27 inches in length; it has short, powerful legs and a short, bushy, and somewhat flattened tail. The long, coarse fur on its back is a grizzled grayish brown with a yellowish or reddish cast. Woodchucks weigh 6-11 pounds, being lightest in spring when they are just out of hibernation and heaviest in fall prior to hibernation. Habitat and Range: This species is common everywhere in the U.S. except in the Mississippi Lowland. Here the water table is so close to the surface that den sites are limited mostly to dikes and levees. Woodchucks prefer to live along the edges where timbered areas are bordered by open land or along fencerows and heavily vegetated gullies or stream banks. Here they dig their burrows. The main entrance is often located beneath a tree stump or rock and is usually conspicuous because of a pile of freshly excavated earth and stones. Side entrances are smaller and better concealed. The tunnels lead to an enlarged chamber, 3-6 feet underground, which contains the nest. Diet: The woodchuck is almost a complete vegetarian, eating leaves, flowers and soft stems of various grasses, or field crops such as clover and alfalfa, and many kinds of wild herbs. Certain garden crops like peas, beans and corn are favorites. Chucks occasionally climb trees to obtain apples and pawpaws, which they also relish. Behavior: By the end of October, most woodchucks are curled up in a profound sleep in their underground nest. So deep is this sleep that even if an animal is warmed up, it requires several hours to awaken. Woodchucks usually hibernate all winter, although during periods of mild weather, some individuals may awaken. In digging, the front feet and claws are used primarily, but the teeth may be employed to move stones or cut roots. The amount of subsoil removed in the course of digging one burrow averages 716 pounds. Digging is done so rapidly that a small burrow can be finished in one day, though upkeep is continued as long as the burrow is occupied. Communication: Woodchucks can be vocal, producing a loud, shrill whistle when alarmed. They also bark, squeal and chatter their teeth when frightened. Reproduction: The breeding season begins in March and April, soon after the animals emerge from hibernation. Pregnancy lasts 31-33 days and the single, annual litter is born in May. At birth, the 1 to 9 young are naked, blind and helpless and they measure about 4 inches long. The eyes open when the young are about 4 weeks old. Although the kits come to the opening of the burrow at this time, they seldom venture outside until 6 or 7 weeks old. By midsummer, the young are 20 inches long and weigh about 4 pounds. About this time, they may dig temporary burrows near the nursery, which they use for a short period. Later, they move some distance away and establish their own homes. Species Status: On farms where woodchucks are too plentiful, they can be killed in their burrows by poisonous gases. Trapping with wire-mesh box traps is preferable to using steel, leg-gripping traps, since the woodchuck is such a strong animal it often pulls free from the latter. Hunting with guns can control the local population and provide some sport as well. Interesting Facts: Woodchucks formerly were trapped for their fur, which was used for cheap fur coats. The flesh of young and lean animals is good food. The role of the woodchuck as a builder of homes for other animals is significant; because of this, the woodchuck occupies an important niche in the wildlife community. Skunks, foxes, weasels, opossums and rabbits all use woodchuck burrows for their dens. Also, because tremendous quantities of subsoil are moved in the course of burrow construction, the countless generations of woodchucks have contributed much to the aeration and mixing of soil. The woodchuck's taste for garden and agricultural crops often places it in an unfavorable position with farmers. Sometimes chucks burrow into levees and create erosion problems. By Nirali Vora