Groundhog Day! Card

One of my favorite animals of all, the woodchuck, groundhog or more affectionately known around here as the Whistle Pig. It's a Marmot and part of the squirrel family called Sciuridae. It's mostly a herbivore but has been known to eat small mammals and insects on occasion. We have a groundhog in residence, brought here as a wee baby, unreleasable due to different conditions. She has a rather rambunctious personality and very large teeth, yet an extremely beautiful animal to observe. They typically hibernate during the Winter months, but in captivity have been known to go into a torpor, not quite asleep, not quite awake. They're born diggers, digging numerous deep burrows, one for sleeping, one for a bathroom facility, or defecating in the scientific community and usually one or two more depending on the season. They can get very large, Joy, the Groundhog in residence is about 8lbs. They tend to 'bulk up' during the Fall in order to survive hibernation. They eat all sorts of vegetation, having favorites, but when those favorites become unavailable, they move to something else. When they sense danger, which is just about all day long, they vocalize a loud 'whistle' that gradually decreases in tone. It's a beautiful song in my opinion. Some are kept as pets, but we certainly don't recommend that. They will never ever become domesticated and can severely injure anyone that doesn't take extreme care while handling them. We have the medical bills and scars to prove it. You can probably tell we're passionate about our Scuiridae, fox squirrels, gray squirrels, pine squirrels and of course our groundhogs. They've been here for over 25 million years and no matter what humans do to destroy this planet, they'll probably be here another 25 million years, long after we as a race are gone.