Groundhog

rodent · north-america · burrowing · ground-squirrel

Also called woodchuck. Groundhogs have another name, woodchuck, but scientists call them Mus monax. They're actually giant ground squirrels, not just any rodent.

Found across North America. These fuzzy diggers live in the eastern United States, all across Canada, and even up into Alaska, loving the cooler, open areas where they can dig.

Underground home builders. Groundhogs are lowland creatures that dig deep burrows to live in, making their homes in grasslands and forests where the ground is easy to excavate.

Named by famous scientists. In 1758, a scientist named Carl Linnaeus gave the groundhog its official scientific name based on drawings made by George Edwards almost 100 years before.