22 Fun Groundhog Facts to Share With Your Class on Groundhog Day

Do you need a few fun groundhog facts to share with your students this Groundhog Day? We love sharing a “fact of the day” with our students to start the morning off with some food for thought, and the second of February is no different.

Will you and your class be tuning in to find out if the groundhog sees his shadow or if we’re in for an early spring? Or are you looking for a quick fact that ties into the quirky holiday so you can post it on your whiteboard?

Either way, the teachers on the Teach Starter team have got you covered with fun facts about groundhogs, plus some interesting facts about Groundhog Day itself. Read on to find out why these furry creatures get to predict the weather, plus a fact about groundhog bathrooms that’s sure to be a hit with your class!

Fun Groundhog Facts for Kids

Before we talk about the holiday, let’s take a look at the animal itself! Here are the answers to some of kids’ most common questions — from what groundhogs eat to where they live and whether groundhogs can climb trees.

1. A baby groundhog is called a pup.
2. Groundhogs are sometimes called whistlepigs. This funny name comes from their habit of whistling at potential mates.
3. Some people refer to groundhogs as woodchucks. The name comes from a Native American word, wuchak.
4. Groundhogs are known for digging huge burrows to live in, and they can move up to 700 pounds of soil to create their home.
5. When the groundhog builds its home, it actually builds a bathroom. It’s a designated place away from the space where the family sleeps or stores its food.
6. Although they prefer to make their habitats deep underground, groundhogs can also climb trees when they want to.
7. Ever wonder what groundhogs eat? These herbivores stick to mostly grass, fruit and the bark or buds of trees.
8. A groundhog only weighs about 13 pounds, but it can eat more than a pound of food in one sitting!
9. Groundhogs can hold their breath for up to 5 minutes when diving into water to escape danger.
10. Don’t expect to find groundhogs if you travel overseas. This small critter is native to North America, and it’s found only in the United States and Canada.
11. Groundhogs usually hibernate for about five months, from late October to early April, but the male groundhog typically comes out in February. They’re not looking for shadows, however. They’re just defending their territory!
12. Groundhogs are not known for being aggressive animals, but don’t get too close to these wild animals! They may bite or scratch when they feel threatened or cornered.
13. They may not look like the squirrels you’re used to seeing, but groundhogs are the largest member of the squirrel family.
14. Two of the groundhog’s 22 teeth — the top incisors — continue to grow throughout the animal’s life at a rate of 1/16 of an inch every week.

Fun Groundhog Day Facts for Kids

Of course, the mammal is the star of the show, but your class may want to hear more about the holiday itself. Here are some Groundhog Day facts that may help answer those kid questions.

Photo by Chris Flook

Here are some of our teacher team’s favorite fun Groundhog Day facts for kids:

1. The most famous groundhog on Groundhog Day is Punxsutawney Phil, who lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
2. Phil isn’t the first groundhog to celebrate the holiday each year! In Nova Scotia, Canada, a groundhog named Shubenacadie Sam makes the first Groundhog Day prediction in North America. This happens a full hour before Phil comes out of his burrow, thanks to the different time zones.
3. In Nova Scotia, Groundhog Day is called Daks Day. This comes from the word “dachs” which is German for badger. While Germans don’t celebrate Groundhog Day, they do celebrate a holiday they call Dachstag on February 2.
4. The history of Groundhog Day goes back hundreds of years to an old European tradition that involved watching for animals to come out of their hibernation in order to predict the weather.
5. According to tradition, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, it’s supposed to be an early spring.
   
6. The groundhog who predicts the weather is called a “prognosticator,” a word that means someone who foretells a future event.
7. Punxsutawney Phil has a wife named Phyliss who lives with him when he’s not busy predicting the weather.
8. It turns out groundhogs are not very good at predicting weather — the most famous Groundhog Day predictor is only right about 39 percent of the time!