Monday is Groundhog Day — the day everyone sick of the cold, dreary winter rests all their hopes for sunny days and warmth on whether a large rodent sees its shadow.
Whether you call them groundhogs, whistle pigs, woodchucks, or land beavers, the marmots are actually the largest members of the squirrel family, according to Steven Sullivan, director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History at Miami University.
"Some German immigrants to the United States had a tradition of paying attention to badgers or maybe hedgehogs, or maybe both, in different neighborhoods, and when they came here to the United States, we didn't have that species of badger and we also didn't have any hedgehogs," Sullivivan explains of the tradition's origins. "But groundhogs filled the niche of a cute, fuzzy animal that pops out in the springtime and tends to begin its activities. And so this tradition of watching the groundhog develops here in the United States and spreads, mostly, just because it's a lot of fun."
According to tradition, if a groundhog sees its shadow on February 2, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it doesn't, an early spring is on the way.
Why groundhogs are poor weather indicators
As much as you may want Buckeye Chuck and Punxsutawney Phil not to see their shadows, Sullivan says the marmots' actions have no bearing on the weather. Humans can, however, learn about the world around us by paying attention to nature.
"Animals respond to weather. A marmot, a groundhog, a bear, a frog, they will have certain behaviors that we might observe at a certain time of year based on the weather of that day or the weather of the past few days," he says. "For example, here in the Cincinnati region, when we start hearing spring peepers and the cricket frogs start chirping, this tells us that the water temperature has reached a certain minimum that's going to be good for their eggs to be laid in."
An interesting thing about marmots is they're the largest "true" hibernators. The animals enter a state of lowered body temperature and metabolic activity called "torpor." This state of reduced biological function can seem close to death, and can last as little as overnight or as long as several months.
Sullivan says the way groundhogs hibernate without losing body mass or bone mass could help scientists understand things about physiology that we might be able to apply to humans in the future.
"Maybe this can lead to a cure for osteoporosis," he points out, adding "Marmots, groundhogs, use their energy in a way that doesn't make them susceptible to insulin problems. Maybe this presents a cure for diabetes in the future."
What nature can tell us about the world around us
"The best thing about Groundhog Day is that I can get outside," Sullivan says. "Groundhog Day is one of the prime days to start making these nature observations, to think about the world around us, how it impacts us and how we impact it."
He calls it a good day to get outside and look around as if you are a groundhog. Make observations about the world around you.
"Is it overcast today? Is it not? What are the buds on the trees doing? Have you ever paid attention to maple flowers? They're not super showy, but they'll start showing up soon, and they have just an amazing structure."
In another month or two, it will be time to start listening for those spring peepers and cricket frogs. You can also make observations about things in your own space — perhaps flowers are starting to break through or various birds are passing through the region and alighting in your yard.
"We see snow on the ground today, but we have enough data to know that that snow is going to be gone in the near future," Sullivan concludes. "I think this gives us a little bit of power to enjoy things like frigid snow that might otherwise be scary or uncomfortable; to know that we can enjoy the cold today, and here in a month or two, we'll be enjoying the hot summer days."
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