Groundhogs are starting to disappear for the year... and what happens to their bodies underground is pretty wild.
During deep hibernation, a groundhog's body temperature can drop from around 99°F to as low as 37°F. Their heart rate can fall from roughly 80 beats per minute to only 4-5, and their breathing can slow to about one breath every few minutes.
They'll spend the winter surviving almost entirely on the fat they worked so hard to pack on all summer.
So when you stop seeing those chunky little bodies waddling around soon, they aren't just sleeping. Their entire body has essentially shifted into energy-saving mode until spring.
Stanley here will be staying awake with us - as he has epilepsy and needs medications daily to keep him healthy. By controlling his environment, we can stop the signals that he would normally get to tell him it's time to hibernate - but his wild friends are getting ready to clock out for the season.
Nice marmot
They always look pretty cute when I peak in on them. They are one of the rabies vector species, so I haven't been able to work with them thus far, but my antibody test came back good after my recent booster, so next year I should be able to get some experience working with them. We had a cute little baby we raised this year named Meatball.
Underappreciated comment