📸 PhotoPhoto: No machine-readable author provided. ElC assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Woodchuck
Marmota monax (Woodchuck · ウッドチャック)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum weight of 6 kg is about 6 tenths of a 10 kg bag of rice, and its total length of 67.5 cm is about 2/3 of a 1 m tape measure (Comparison).
- 💡 It has been used in medical research on hepatitis B, obesity, and endocrine and cardiovascular diseases, and is also pursued as game (Animal Diversity Web).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Woodchuck is a ground squirrel widely distributed across North America, digging burrows along forest edges and in fields.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Stocky in build, it looks tall when standing on its hind legs. Its coat ranges from gray to cinnamon and dark brown, with white-tipped hairs giving it a grizzled look, and a short, bushy tail.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Diurnal, it grazes in the morning and afternoon, favoring alfalfa, clover, and dandelions while also eating bark, leaves, insects, and bird eggs. It digs separate summer and winter dens and stores fat to hibernate through winter.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2016) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42458/115189992
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • mammaldiversity.org — 1001734
- • iucnredlist.org — 115189992
- • wikidata.org — Q221612
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Groundhog3.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Marmota monax
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — T. Michael Keesey · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.