Download - Marmota monax
Taxonomy
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Rodentia
• Family: Sciuridae
• Genus: Marmota
• Species: Marmota monax[1]
Distinguishing Characteristics• Stocky and often stand on hind legs
• Color: Gray, cinnamon, to dark brown
• Body covered with white-tipped guard hairs giving
• Paws from a typical black to dark brown
• White teeth (Unusual)
• Rounded ears cover the external auditory canal which prevents dirt from entering the ear canal while burrowing
• Their short bushy tail is black to dark brown and 20 to 25% total body length
• Weigh from 2 to 6 kg
• 415 to 675 mm in total length
• Tails 100 to 160 mm in length
• Males and females are the same color, males are larger than females
All information from source 1
Figure 7
Dental Formula and Genetics
• Dental formula[1]
• 1/1, 0/0, 2/1, 3/3, total 22
• Genetic code[4]
• 1 atgttggtct accatttagt ttggtttcct ttgataatct taggaagctc taccccactc
• Rest of sequence on genbank
• “Used in biomedical research investigating hepatitis B, metabolic function, obesity, energy balance, the endocrine system, reproduction, neurology, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and neoplastic disease.”[1]
Behavior and Ecology• Diurnal
• Solitary
• Burrowing mammal
• Often found sunning themselves
• Usually asocial, but woodchucks will sometimes greet each other nose to nose
• Territorial and non-social
• When threatened they arch their bodies, bare their teeth, and raise their tail
• Preferred forage includes alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Genus: Trifolium), and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Other foods include bark, leaves, insects, and bird eggs.
• Communicate via scent glands and vocalizations
• True hibernators; however, in the southern part of their range, they stay active throughout the year
All information from source 1
Figure 5
Figure 11
Distribution and Habitat• Home ranges are approximately
10,000 m^2 for males and 2,500 m^2 for females[1]
• Avoid predators by climbing trees[1]
• Typically found in low elevation forests, small woodlots, fields, pastures, and hedgerows[1]
• Construct summer and winter dens[1]
• Generalists[2]
• variety of plant materials
Figure 3
Figure 4
Life History and Abundance
• Also known as groundhogs[2]
• Woodchucks live 4 to 6 years in the wild but, due to predation and disease, often do not live past age 3. Woodchucks may live up to 10 years in captivity[1]
• Record longevity in captivity is 14 years[5]
• The amount of woodchucks in the U.S. is unknown due to the mass amount of them
Reproduction• Polygynous
• During breeding season, male-female interactions are limited to copulation
• Males mate after emergence from hibernation
• 4-9 pups per litter
• Weaning starts at 44 days
• Sexually mature at 2 yrs
Figure 6
All information from source 2
Diseases and Parasites• “They are also host to a number of
different parasite species, including botflies, nematodes, protozoa, tularemia, rabies, chiggers, mites, ticks, fleas, and lice.”[1]
• botfly (Oestridae)
• nematodes (Nematoda)
• protozoa (Protista)
• tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
• rabies (Lyssavirus)
• chiggers and mites (Trombiculidae)
• ticks (Acarina)
• fleas (Siphonaptera)
• lice (Phthiraptera[1]
Figure 8 Figure 9
Figure 10
Conservation Threats and Efforts
• Due to their abundance and broad geographic range, woodchucks are listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species[3]
• This species is not of conservation concern, and its range includes several protected areas[3]
Citations• 1. Tobias, By Clinton. "Marmota Monax (woodchuck)." Animal Diversity Web. N.p., n.d. Web.
29 Oct. 2016.
• 2. Kwiecinski, Gary G. "Marmota Monax." Mammalian Species 591 (1998): 1. Web.
• 3. Linzey, A.V. & NatureServe (Hammerson, G. & Cannings, S.). 2008. Marmota monax. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T42458A10708072. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T42458A10708072.en. Downloaded on 29 October 2016.
• 4. "Marmota Monax Isolate MAR1MM Endogenous Virus ERV-Mar1 Envelope Protei - Nucleotide - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
• 5. "AnAge Entry for Marmota Monax." Woodchuck (Marmota Monax) Longevity, Ageing, and Life History. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Citations• Figure 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog
• Figure 2: http://rtpi.org/groundhog-marmota-monax-by-scott-kruitbosch/
• Figure 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog
• Figure 4: http://www.bbwildliferemoval.com/repair.php
• Figure 5: http://www.havahart.com/groundhog-facts
• Figure 6: http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/01/31/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-groundhogs/
• Figure 7: http://madjellyfish.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-did-that-groundhog-get-job.html
• Figure 8: https://www.chigarid.com/chigger-bites/
• Figure 9: http://tickinfo.com
• Figure 10: http://www.medicinenet.com/head_lice/article.htm
• Figure 11: http://leesonphoto.photoshelter.com/image/I0000Kzt0oSLJ5ZA