Quick answer
Key facts about groundhog — size, diet, habitat, and conservation in one place.
Deep hibernation
Groundhogs enter true hibernation with body temperature near 5°C and heart rate falling from 80 to 5 beats per minute. They survive on fat reserves without eating for months.
Burrow engineering
Burrows with separate toilet, sleeping, and escape chambers extend over 15 metres with multiple entrances. Abandoned burrows shelter rabbits, foxes, and reptiles.
Groundhog Day tradition
Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil predicts spring on 2 February — pure folklore without meteorological basis but a cultural fixture since the 1880s.
Garden conflict
Groundhogs raid vegetable gardens and undermine foundations. Humane exclusion with fencing buried deep is preferable to trapping in many jurisdictions.