Marmota monax (Linnaeus, 1758)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6819039 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFBD-ED41-FA6A-F75BFDC6F06E |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Marmota monax |
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Woodchuck
French: Marmotte commune / German: Waldmurmeltier / Spanish: Marmota de Canada
Other common names: Groundhog
Taxonomy. Mus monax Linnaeus, 1758 ,
“in America septentrionalis.”
Restricted by
O. Thomas in 1911 to Maryland, USA.
Nine subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
M.m.monaxLinnaeus,1758—SpartofthedistributioninE&SEUSAStoNWLouisiana,Alabama,andGeorgia.
M.m.bunker:Black,1935—CUSA(KansasandNebraska).
M.m.canadensisErxleben,1777—NWtoSECanadaandNEUSA(Maine,NNewHampshireandNVermont).
M.m.ignavaBangs,1899—NECanada(NQuebecandELabrador).
M.m.johnsoniR.M.Anderson,1943—restrictedtoextremeSQuebecinSECanada.
M.m.ochraceaSwarth,1911—EAlaskaandNWCanada.
M.m.preblorumA.H.Howell,1914—NEUSA(SNewEngland).
M. m. rufescens A. H. Howell, 1914 — SC Canada (SE Ontario) and NC & NE tier of states from E North Dakota and E South Dakota to New Hampshire S to Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in USA.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 418-665 mm, tail 100-155 mm; weight 3-4—4-1 kg. The Woodchuck has dorsal pelage that is grizzled gray to dark brown, often appearing frosted because of light-colored tips of guard hairs. White-to-tan patches surround snout and chin. Front legs can be suffused with rufous to cinnamon. Venter is highly variable and can be gray to tan to rufous and dark brown. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 38 and FN = 66. Subspecies rufescens is pale straw to yellow in autumn, suffused with rust on legs and venter. Subspecies preblorum is medium-sized, with pale reddish hue on dorsum and pinkish cinnamon on venter. Subspecies pretensis is strong reddish above and below; hairs on back are vinaceous cinnamon, turning to orange-cinnamon on shoulders and flanks of johnsoni. Subspecies ochracea is strong reddish brown on dorsum, with lighter venter and pinkish cinnamon tail. Subspecies bunkeri is large-bodied pale gray. Subspecies ignava is large and dark orange-cinnamon, frosted with buff.
Habitat. Old fields, meadows, meadow-forest ecotones, orchards, croplands, roadsides, and urban parklands.
Food and Feeding. The Woodchuck is an herbivore that feeds on a diversity of forbs, grasses, sedges, flowers, fruits, and buds. It climbs trees to consume leaves, fruits, or soft seeds and has also been known to eat insects and scavenge small vertebrates. It causes agricultural damage to cereal crops, hayfields, and orchards.
Breeding. The Woodchuck lives alone in modestly complex burrows. Males often emerge from hibernation before females; mating occurs soon after females arouse and emerge. Mating system is polygynous. Yearling females can reproduce, and majority of adult females reproduce each year. Gestation lasts 31-32 days; females give birth to as many as nine young in burrows after gestations of. Young emerge from burrows after 5-6 weeks in early summer to mid-summer. Mostjuveniles disperse from natal areas at the end oftheir first growing season; however, some young, especially females, remain near natal areas. Although independentafter dispersal, woodchucks continue to grow for 2-3 years before achieving adult body size.
Activity patterns. Woodchucks are diurnal and might be crepuscular and even nocturnal in urban areas. Woodchucks hibernate alone in burrows beginning in October-November and emerge after 2-6 months in mid-spring.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows are relatively simple and can be located in open fields, adjacent deciduous or mixed forests, or under human structures, (e.g. buildings or bridges). Adults are solitary and territorial. Male home ranges are 0-5—4 ha; female home ranges are significantly smaller. Overlap of female home ranges is minimal; overlap is more significant between males and females. Because individuals are relatively asocial, interactions among adults are typically agonistic. Kinship is influential, and close relatives are slightly more amicable and less aggressive toward each other. Olfactory communication appears important, and Woodchucks scent-mark on structures and plants using well-developed glands on upper lips and corner of mouths. Alarm calls are high-pitched, short duration vocalizations.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the Woodchuck is stable. They are hunted for food and sport and considered a nuisance on golf courses and in urban areas, where they dig under structures. In orchards and croplands, they can cause considerable crop losses in local settings.
Bibliography. Anon. (1990), Armitage (2013a, 2014), Caire & Sloan (1996), Jordheim (1990), Kaufman & Kaufman (2002), Kwiecinski (1998), Maher (2009), Robinson & Lee (1980), Roehrs & Genoways (2004), Stevenson (1990), Thomas (1911c), Thorington et al. (2012), Tumlinson et al. (2001), Zervanos, Maher & Florant (2013), Zervanos, Maher, Waldvogel & Florant (2010).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
