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Move over, Phil: Meet Dilbert
Photo
By Ed Runyan
Groundhogs in the wild are hibernating right now.
CANFIELD — There’s nothing scientific about Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who was pulled from his heated, simulated tree trunk at 5 a.m. today to predict how long winter will last.
In truth, Phil is wrong more than he is right.
And in truth, a groundhog is not even likely to be above ground this time of year because groundhogs — also known as woodchucks — are one of the few true hibernating animals in this part of the United States, wildlife educators explained Sunday afternoon.
Carolyn Sechnick and Melissa Terwilliger of the Penitentiary Glen Reservation at the Lake County MetroParks in Kirtland, near Cleveland, brought their 2-year-old groundhog, Dilbert, to McMahon Hall in the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm to tell other truths.
Dilbert, in the spirit of Punxsutawney Phil, was also scheduled to step outside this morning and predict whether we will have six more weeks of winter.
More importantly, Dilbert was a hit with the dozens of children who came out to meet him.
Dilbert didn’t warm up to the strangers at first, hiding under scraps of newspaper, but eventually, the 14-pound rodent closely related to the squirrel began to relax and roll around on his back, showing his signature buck teeth.
In truth, Dilbert is heavier than he should be. Groundhogs are generally only between 41‚Ñ2 and 9 pounds, though they can get to 30 pounds, Sechnick said.
They achieve their greatest weight in August or September, as they take on enough fat so that from October through late February or March, their body can live without eating, she said.
If Dilbert were in the wild, he would be hibernating about 5 feet under ground right now.
His body temperature would have dropped from about 99 degrees to about 40. His heartbeat would be about five beats per minute instead of his normal 75 to 100. His breathing would be two to three breaths per minute instead of 15 to 20, Sechnick said.
Dilbert doesn’t act like a wild groundhog because he has been “imprinted,” Sechnick said, meaning that he has come to rely on humans too much to return to the wild.
Dilbert, who came to the Lake MetroParks after his mother was killed, doesn’t hibernate and doesn’t show many of the behaviors of a groundhog in the wild, Sechnick said.
Dilbert sometimes acts more like a pet cat or dog, though he had to remain in a cage during Sunday’s presentation because of the danger from his teeth and claws.
Groundhogs are a nuisance to farmers because the entrances and exits of their burrows can damage farm equipment, and groundhogs can eat a large amount of vegetables or grass in a single night, Terwilliger said.
The animals like to live on farm land or grass land or on the edge of a forest, Sechnick said, so they can make burrows to live in. Such locations allow them to stand on their hind legs and watch for predators, Sechnick said.
Burrows are generally 2 feet to 5 feet below ground and 40 feet long, divided into separate areas for food storage, a bathroom and possibly a nursery for the babies.
With its strong hind legs and sharp front claws, a groundhog can move 700 pounds of dirt in one night, Sechnick said.
Despite the bad reputation groundhogs have among farmers, they do serve useful purposes, Terwilliger said.
They eat pest insects that can kill crops, and they disperse seeds by eating plants and releasing the digested seeds elsewhere in their feces.
Their burrows also put air in the soil, making it better for growing, she noted.
Cathy and Jim Shively of Struthers said they brought their daughters, Zoey, 8, and Zada, 6, to the MetroParks farm because Zoey was born on Groundhog Day and had wanted to see a groundhog in person.
It’s also easier than traveling two hours east to Punxsutawney, Cathy said.
runyan@vindy.com