Share this article
Maybe groundhogs aren’t as solitary as we thought
On Groundhog Day, all eyes are on one particular groundhog. But groundhogs, it seems, are not so solitary. Researching groundhogs in Maine, Christine Maher, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Southern Maine, has found groundhogs to be more social than people thought.
Maher tagged over 500 groundhogs (Marmota monax) at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, tracked their behavior, traced their relationships and mapped their territory, noting individuals’ activities and interactions.
She found that about half the juveniles remain in their birth territory, and they stay nearby after they depart, creating a community of related groundhogs in overlapping territories. “This had been hinted at,” she told the New York Times, “but I don’t think people knew just to what extent it was happening.”
Header Image: A groundhog is tagged at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, where researcher Christine Maher mapped groundhog behavior and relationships. Credit: Heather Paul
Related Posts
TWS pubs in the news
The New York Times recently covered a study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management titled, “Rehabilitating tigers for range expansion: lessons from the Russian Far East.” If you haven’t...
Increasing drought poses threats to U.S. wildlife
Lack of moisture can contribute to wildlife habitat loss, heat stress and more
Wild Cam: As snow decreases, wolf stomachs rumble
Lower snow levels in Minnesota winters means fewer vulnerable deer for packs to prey on