Groundhog vs. Woodchuck – what’s the difference? Every early February, with Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil in the news, this question is a common head-scratcher.
Groundhog Vs. Woodchuck | What’s the Difference?
So what IS the difference between a groundhog and a woodchuck? Taxonomically, there is none; both names refer to a burrowing rodent of the marmot family,
Marmota monax. In New England, however — where residents can count on at least six more weeks of winter after February 2, no matter what some groundhog in Punxsutawney, thinks — the term
woodchuck has always held sway. First recorded in 1674, the word is simply an English pronunciation of the animal’s Algonquin name,
wejack or
wuchak. “Woodchuck” also serves as a nickname for any native-born resident of a backwoods area, although caution is advised in applying it to people whom one does not know well.
What do you call it?
Excerpt from “The New England Sampler,” Yankee Magazine
, February 1996.This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated. 
