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Friday, October 15, 2010

Woodchuck

Okay, this one is for Gill.

A woodchuck is a North American mammal that
  • is sometimes completely black or completely white 
  • is one of Canada’s largest true hibernators and the subject of a great deal of medical research 
  • spends much of its time eating and sunning when not hibernating or caring for young
  • is the major hole-digging mammal over much of eastern North America, and in some places in the west, providing all sorts of animals with shelter
Woodchucks are stocky little animals with a flattened head. They commonly weigh 2 to 4 kg, and large ones may be heavier in the autumn. They measure 40 to 65 cm total length, including a short bushy tail about 15 cm long. Fur colour varies from place to place and between individual animals. It ranges from yellowish to dark reddish brown, with an intermediate brown colour being the most common shade. The fur is usually grizzled in appearance because of light-coloured tips on the hairs. The belly fur is commonly straw-coloured and the feet black.

What that has to do with "chucking wood" is anybody's guess. Just a cute tongue twister?


To learn more about the woodchuck visit:  http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?cid=8&id=109

3 comments:

  1. I love that commercial with the woodchucks that are throwing wood in the river by the pond. Have you ever seen it? It makes me laugh every time I see it.

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  2. Thanks Kathy
    To be honest I've always known the rhyme but was never sure if woodchucks actually existed!!!
    Gill

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  3. We call them groundhogs........got 5 of them living in my yard. The babies are so cute but they are rather destructive to the gardens. They especially love violets and the leaves of morning glory.
    It is turning colder here now so they have gone into hiding.

    ReplyDelete

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