 | This article may require copy editing for improving and merging references. (August 2024) |
| Groundhog | |
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| Groundhog at Laval University campus, Quebec, Canada | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Marmota |
| Species: | M. monax
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| Binomial name | |
| Marmota monax | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Groundhog range in North America | |
| Synonyms | |
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Mus monax Linnaeus, 1758 | |
The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as the woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots.[2] A lowland creature of North America, it is found through much of the Eastern United States, across Canada and into Alaska.[3] It was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.[4]
The groundhog plays an important role maintaining healthy soil in woodlands and plains; as such, the species is considered a crucial habitat engineer.[5][6][7] The groundhog is an extremely intelligent animal, forming complex social networks and capable of understanding social behavior, forming kinship with its young, understanding and communicating threats through whistling, and working cooperatively to solve tasks such as burrowing.[8][9]
- ^ Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Marmota monax". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T42458A115189992. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42458A22257685.en. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ Thorington, R.W. Jr; Hoffman, R.S. (2005). "Family Sciuridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 802. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ "Marmota monax, Woodchuck". North American Mammals. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ Linné, Carl von (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae. Vol. 1 (10 ed.). Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. p. 60. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2018 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ Meier, Paul T. (December 1, 1992). "Social organization of woodchucks (Marmota monax)". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 31 (6): 393–400. Bibcode:1992BEcoS..31..393M. doi:10.1007/BF00170606. S2CID 44244749. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2021 – via Springer Link.
- ^ Pustilnik, Jeremy D.; Searle, Jeremy B.; Curtis, Paul D. (2021). "The effects of red fox scent on winter activity patterns of suburban wildlife: evaluating predator-prey interactions and the importance of groundhog burrows in promoting biodiversity". Urban Ecosystems. 24 (3): 529–547. Bibcode:2021UrbEc..24..529P. doi:10.1007/s11252-020-01056-5. S2CID 224867974. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2021 – via Springer Link.
- ^ Moore, Alexis Lee; Butcher, Michael (May 18, 2011). "Functional specialization in the forelimbs of two digging mammals: the American badger (Taxidea taxus) and groundhog (Marmota monax)". The FASEB Journal. 25 (S1): 867.12. doi:10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.867.12. S2CID 87167021.
- ^ Maher, Christine R. (2009). "Genetic Relatedness and Space Use in a Behaviorally Flexible Species of Marmot, the Woodchuck (Marmota monax)" (PDF). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 63 (6): 857–868. Bibcode:2009BEcoS..63..857M. doi:10.1007/s00265-009-0726-5. JSTOR 40295409. S2CID 20892108. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ Daniel, Janice C.; Blumstein, Daniel T. (1998). "A test of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in four species of marmots" (PDF). Animal Behaviour. 56 (6). Department of Systematics and Ecology, University of Kansas: The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour: 1517–1528. doi:10.1006/anbe.1998.0929. PMID 9933550. S2CID 37133587. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.