Woodchuck (Marmota monax)

Carson ArendsMammalogyBIOL 5760

Fall 2016Figure 1

Figure 2

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

Questions?