Do you really know about the groundhog and its shadow

Then ‘tis sure for six weeks more the wintertime will keep.

But, if clouds block out his sight and he stays out for a fling

Then by this token be assured there’ll be an early spring.”

Anonymous

All too soon, winter’s remaining weather die will have been irreversibly cast. The highly technical weather forecasts of meteorologists that are determined in part by satellite mappings will be of little value from this point on. According to widespread legend and generally accepted belief, the remaining length and severity of winter 2002-03 will be decided and etched in concrete on February 2 — Groundhog Day.

Tradition has it that the groundhog, the Rip Van Winkle of the small mammal world, rouses from its winter nap each year on the second day of the second month to test prevailing weather conditions. According to astute human observers — historically about as accurate in weather prediction as modern meteorologists — if the groundhog awakens to sunny conditions and is frightened by its shadow, it returns to sleep out six more weeks of severe winter weather. Conversely, if clouds prevail and the groundhog is not frightened by a shadow, harsh winter is said to be over.

Annually on February 2, the world is glued (okay, slightly pasted) to national media as the Pennsylvania symbol of Groundhog Day, old Punxsutawney Phil, is rudely awakened and artificially prodded out of his den for winter prognostication. If groundhogs only knew and understood that they are the only mammal with a day set aside in their honor in the United States, they would no doubt be impressed. More likely than not, northwest Missouri woodchuck soothsayers are likely sleeping right through their day…to awaken from hibernation at a more hospitable time, later in the second month.

Like most American customs, Groundhog Day has been inherited in part from Old World myth. In Europe of old, spring planting usually started in early February. Thus, it was important for farmers to predict the weather conditions of the period. So, on Candlemas (a church feast commemorating the purification of the Virgin Mary, celebrated on Feb. 2), superstitious man turned to the European hedgehog as a supernatural forecaster to answer his weather questions. It was only natural that European settlers arriving on the farmlands of this country adopted the groundhog, the nearest thing to a hedgehog that they could find, as a new winter weather forecast symbol.

The names “groundhog” and “woodchuck” are really misnomers, for the medium-sized mammal with the short powerful legs and medium-long bushy tail is a rodent. Second only to the beaver as the largest rodent occurring in Missouri, it is most closely related to the ground squirrels and other members of the squirrel family.

True to its descriptive name, the groundhog is a ground-dweller, proficient at excavating and living in an extensive burrow. Possessing engineering qualities that rival the beaver, the groundhog generally digs a burrow on a hillside where drainage is good. The entrance, about a foot in diameter, is usually situated in the roots of a tree or under some obstacle that prevents predators from digging in to it.

Adult chucks range in length from about 16 to 27 inches from the tips of the nose to the tip of the tail and weigh some six to seven pounds during most of the year. Weight often doubles to 12 to 14 pounds just before the animals enter hibernation by the end of October or early November. As autumn days shorten and cool, they remain out of their burrows for increasingly shorter periods. The oldest, and usually the fattest, animals become less active and hibernate first. Lean young chucks are usually the last to hibernate. By spring, the animals have often lost one-half to one-third their pre-hibernation weights.

One of many local kinds of animals that escapes inclement weather by hibernating, the woodchuck stays in nearly suspended animation all winter. During intense hibernation, the chuck’s temperature may drop from 90 degrees F to a low of 38 degrees F, approximating that of the surrounding burrow. Heart rate may slow from 75 to a barely discernable four beats per minute and breathing can hardly be detected. So low is the metabolism during the “winter sleep” that claws and teeth cease growth and body wastes become virtually nonexistent. The sleep is so profound that even if the animal is warmed, it takes several hours to fully awaken.

In Missouri, especially in the southern regions, groundhogs begin to emerge from hibernation as early as the first week of February, regulated by cold weather trends. They emerge from the den for short periods at first, when little plant food is available. As daily temperatures rise and plant growth increases, the animals spend more time above ground.

Regardless of whether or not the local chucks see their shadows on February 2, (two bits says they are still tucked away warmly in their beds), any storms can be blamed on winter’s weather prognosticator.