Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Groundhogs might not look like the most exciting animals at first glance. They’re chunky, furry creatures with short legs and strong claws. But these animals are full of surprises! 

Also known as woodchucks, groundhogs are a type of rodent closely related to squirrels. They live all around Western North Carolina and play an important role in forests and even backyards.

One of the most interesting things about groundhogs is that they’re excellent diggers. Using their powerful front claws, they dig complex burrows underground. These burrows can be up to 30 feet long and have several rooms inside, including a bathroom chamber for eliminating waste, a sleeping area, and a place to raise their babies. Pretty clever, with multiple entrances for escape if needed. Not too many animals design a bathroom and a nursery!

Watching a mom and her five babies this spring behind Harmon Field brought such joy. Every day as we drove by, the little ones would scurry back to the burrow when they heard the car. 

In the winter, groundhogs hibernate deep in their burrows where it stays warmer. While they’re asleep for months, their heartbeat slows way down, and their body temperature drops. Since they don’t eat or drink anything during hibernation, it’s like nature’s version of pressing pause.

And these burrows don’t just help groundhogs—once a groundhog leaves an old burrow, it becomes a cozy home for other animals. Rabbits, foxes, opossums, skunks, turtles, and even snakes will move in. That’s one way groundhogs help other wildlife survive. Their digging also mixes up the soil, which helps it stay healthy for plants to grow.

Besides being great diggers, they are also strong swimmers and excellent tree climbers. Although I never think to look up in a tree for groundhogs!

Being mostly herbivores, a big fancy word for animals that eat plants, they love grasses, clover, wildflowers, and even garden vegetables. Sometimes this gets them into trouble with gardeners and farmers. But think of them as plant trimmers, soil aerators, and part of nature’s clean-up crew, eating rotten fruit on the ground. 

Although groundhogs are relatively quiet animals, they have a unique way of communicating. When they sense danger, they stand up on their hind legs to get a better look and make a loud whistle or chirp to warn others nearby. This sound has earned them the nickname “whistle pigs.”

Groundhogs are also an important food source for many predators. Hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and black bears all rely on animals like groundhogs to maintain healthy diets. 

Western North Carolina is the perfect place for groundhogs to live. With its mix of forests, meadows, and open spaces, our region gives them everything they need—plenty of plants to eat and soft soil for digging. You’ll often spot groundhogs in fields, along the edges of forests, or near roads. If you’re lucky, you might see one with babies in a field like we did.

Being somewhat famous, every year on February 2, people in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, celebrate Groundhog Day. They watch to see if a groundhog sees its shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Of course, this tradition is more fun than science, but it does show how much people enjoy these mysterious animals.

Although groundhogs can be a nuisance when they dig under buildings or damage gardens, they’re an essential part of nature. By providing homes for wildlife with their burrows, improving the soil, and serving as food for other animals, groundhogs contribute to the health of our surroundings.

So the next time you see a groundhog waddling across a field or peeking out from behind a bush, take a moment to appreciate this quiet, helpful neighbor. Groundhogs may not make a lot of noise, but their impact on Western North Carolina is loud and clear.

Loti Woods is co-founder of Champions for Wildlife, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire and empower kids to fall in love with wildlife through art and education. To learn more, visit championsforwildlife.org or email loti@championsforwildlife.org.