Alpine marmot in Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
© Misja Smits/Minden Picture
Happy Groundhog Day (again?)!. Groundhog Day
If you're reading this for the first time, Happy Groundhog Day! And if you're reading this for the hundredth or thousandth time, we wish you luck in breaking out of your infinite time loop. Then you can join the rest of us as we either brace for six more weeks of winter or sigh with relief that fair weather's on the way—depending, of course, on the shadow of a certain burrowing rodent.
Actually, this confrontational-looking rodent isn't a groundhog but an alpine marmot. Groundhogs are in the marmot family and both rodents share similar burrowing habits. But the groundhog is unusual in that it lives at low elevations, unlike most marmots, which are mountain-bound.
So, does it count if a marmot sees its shadow on Groundhog Day? Only time will tell—well, assuming the day doesn't reset as soon as you go to bed.
Related Images
Manatee in Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
Baby giant panda in the snow, China
Polar bear cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Polar bears at play in the Arctic
Polar bear mom and cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
American black bear cub in spring, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Giant panda eating bamboo, Chengdu, China
Polar bear cubs playing, Kaktovik, Alaska
Today on Bing
Young alpine marmot
Marmot peeking out of its burrow
Alpine marmots in Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
Meerkat family huddling together
