Groundhog (Marmota monax)

A common, larger rodent, hibernates and can be seen only after the last snow has gone and spring arrived. Groundhogs are used to civilization and build their burrows near houses.

🇫🇷	Marmotte commune
🇩🇪	Waldmurmeltier
🇲🇽	Marmota canadiense

Taxonomy

Order	Rodentia
Family	Sciuridae

ID and Whereabouts

Around Montreal, there are no similar species like Hoary Marmot, Yellow-bellied Marmot or Vancouver Island Marmot, so that identification of this species is simple.

I saw Groundhogs in almost every park around Montreal. Morning and late afternoon, look out for patches of meadows where they like to feed. Although, living close to houses, they will run into the burrow when you get close.

Location	Spring	Summer	Autumn	Winter
Jardin Botanique de Montréal	-	x	-	-
Parc Angrignon	x	x	-	-
Parc Michel-Chartrand	x	-	-	-
Parc de la Frayère	-	x	-	-
Parc des Rapides	x	x	-	-
Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park	-	x	-	-
Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies	x	-	-	-

"x" indicates the species was observed, while "-" indicates no observation. Lack of observation doesn't necessarily imply that the species is absent. Data is derived from our park visit journals.

Characteristics

Length	40-65cm
Weight	2-4kg