What are woodchucks? — Jemima’s student essay

What Are Woodchucks?

Woodchuck is also known as the Groundhog, they feed on vegetable gardens, lawns, plants, and other landscaping. They also cause extensive damage to lawns as they burrow underneath them. Woodchucks have the ability to bite and scratch if they are threatened, they rarely bite. Woodchucks are not considered dangerous to people, they can cause a lot of damage to lawns, gardens, and fences. They can also destroy engine compartments and can chew electric wires. Woodchucks look similar to beaver expect without the tail.

According to live sciences, “they like woodland areas that bump up against more open areas. They dig burrows that can be 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep and 20 feet (6 m) wide. Woodchuck has a gray undercoat with long, light brown hair on top woodchucks that are built for digging with short limbs that are very powerful, strong claws, and stubby tails. This actively illustrates that underground homes can also have entrances. 

The size of a woodchuck is large as a house cat, it weighs between 13 and 15 pounds. Their diet can include fruit, plants, and grasses, They don’t eat during hibernation but they use the fat that they built over the summer and winter. The most activity they do occurs during the early morning and early evening hours, which emerge from their food gathers.

Signs that woodchucks are on your property would be the mounds of soil where they are creating their burrows, either in your home or sheds. They are drawn to properties that have easy access to food and water. You may see damage on your garden and landscaping from were they feeding off from.

Groundhog popping out of his hole

According to Havahart, ” Woodchucks burrowing can pose a serious threat to agricultural and residential developments. which is why it’s important to identify woodchucks damage early.” ” some signs of damage are: mounds of soil outside, chewed tubing wires or irrigation systems, deep holes in the ground or lawn, weekend building foundation, damaged or hollowed outcrops, and grounding tracks: five toes on the front and four on the back; generally profound claw marking. 

To get rid of woodchucks from your property can be difficult, You would have to call a trained wildlife removal expert to get rid of the woodchucks. The name woodchuck has nothing to do with wood or chucking it. The word woodchuck comes from a native American word wuchak which means digger. Fun facts about woodchucks are that they are the largest species in the squirrel family, They are also known as groundhogs, land-beavers, and whistle pigs, woodchucks are known to have been responsible for uncovering a historic village in central Ohio, Woodchucks are so complex that each has its own bathroom chamber, and They are skilled climbers and swimmers, which helps them escape less-skilled predators.

Woodchuck is widespread from central Alaska, across Canada, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama. To sum everything that has been stated Woodchucks are 20″ long with 6-7 tall, brown fur, round body, They help itself to anything and everything you have planted.

Author: Jemima Kapinga

University and College

Student Scholarships

Every year Thrive Pest Control hosts an essay contest and the reward is a 1-year scholarship at a 4-year university in the United States. This blog post is one of those scholarships.