Cold Comfort
Posted by susan hardaway on August 6, 2006
Q: There is a critter that is a type of marmot or groundhog. I thought there were differences in the tail in order to correctly identify what is burrowing under the fence. My neighbor says its a groundhog, but I thought there might be a slight differnce.
State: Missouri
Habitat: forest/open woods
A: The Groundhog is definitely a kind of marmot, in fact its scientific name is Marmota monax. The name "Groundhog" is merely a common name for this particular species of marmot that is the easternmost representative of this group of rodents. The differences in the marmots is more one of range (where they live) and a bit of coloration - they all look pretty much alike. Hope this helps.
John Wiessinger ( August 6, 2006)