I told this groundhog that it was Monday and it just stared at me. To a groundhog it’s the season that matters.
It asked me what month it was and I told it July, I thought it was just messing with me. After doing a little research I found out that for these cuties the month IS important because there is a deadline of sorts for them. Winter is coming.
They spend every day stuffing themselves in preparation for winter…they will hibernate underground and so they need to build lots of body fat to live on.
We have Groundhog day here, a tradition that is built on the premise that, every year on the second of February if a groundhog sees it’s shadow, it means six more weeks of winter.
The truth of the matter is, the males come out of hibernation in February to locate females that are still in hibernation. Breeding season will start in March, so, having located the objects of their affection, the males go back into hibernation for a few more weeks.
Who wants to get out of bed before they have to?
(One more interesting fact…THEY’RE A MEMBER OF THE SQUIRREL FAMILY!)
