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15 Animals Similar to Groundhogs

A single groundhog near its lair.

Animal: Groundhog

Other Common Names: Woodchuck

Type of Animal: Mammal

Family: Squirrel (Scuiridae)

Distribution: Groundhogs are found in North America, from Canada to the southern regions of the United States.

Habitat: Woodlands, open forests, fields, and some rocky slopes.

Diet: Herbivores; eat plants, insects, and snails on occasion.

Longevity: Approximately 3 years

Adult Weight: 5 to 13 pounds (2 to 6 kilograms)

Adult Body Length: 16 to 20 inches (41 to 51 centimeters)

Behaviors: They are active during the day making them a diurnal species. Groundhogs burrow into the dirt to create multi-chambered burrows to store food, rest, and hibernate. They only live with a mate and tend to be solo otherwise.

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Gopher

A gopher eating a nut.

Animal: Gopher

Type of Animal: Mammal

Family: Pocket Gopher (Geomyidae)

Distribution: Gophers live throughout North and Central America, mostly in regions of the United States and Mexico.

Habitat: Woodlands, grass prairies, coastal areas, and mountainous regions.

Diet: Omnivores; eat earthworms, other bugs, shrubs, plant roots, and some vegetables.

Longevity: Approximately 4 years

Adult Weight: Around 0.5 pounds (200 grams)

Adult Body Length: 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters)

Behaviors: These animals are active during the day and tend to remain in underground burrows for most of their lives, making them fossorial individuals. Gophers usually live alone unless with their mate.

Similarities to Groundhogs: Both of these animals burrow underground and live isolated from one another.

Differences to Groundhogs: Gophers have fur-less tails, long teeth that have a yellow to brown coloration, fur-lined cheeks for storing food, and are smaller. Groundhogs have fur-covered tails, white incisors, and a relatively large body mass.

Prairie Dog

A prairie dog sitting on a rock.

Animal: Prairie Dog

Type of Animal: Mammal

Family: Squirrel (Scuiridae)

Distribution: This is a North American species living in areas of Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Habitat: Primarily dry and sparsely vegetated grasslands, but also low valleys, mountain meadows, and prairies.

Diet: Omnivores; eat insects, the leaves of flowering plants, seeds, roots, weeds, and grasses.

Longevity: Approximately 3 to 5 years… Read the rest of the story.


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