Young alpine marmot

© Jonas Fichtner-Pflaum/Getty Image

Weather or not. Groundhog Day

It's Groundhog Day… again. Today, while the famous Punxsutawney Phil gets all the attention in the United States, Canada's own groundhog, Wiarton Willie, is the star of the local Wiarton Willie Festival in Bruce County, Ontario. We rely on the prognostication skills of Willie to determine if winter will hang on. Legend has it that if he emerges from his burrow on February 2 and sees his own shadow, Canadians brace for an extended winter; no shadow means an early spring is on the way. Though it is celebrated mostly in Ontario, other places like Nova Scotia and Quebec also take part in the fun. The tradition has deep roots, first appearing in the early 1800s when European settlers brought similar customs to North America. Historically, Europeans celebrated today as the first day of spring, and Germans originally watched badgers and other small animals for signs of seasonal change important to farmers.

The alpine marmot in today's image is a close relative of the groundhog, which is another species of marmot. Marmots are the heaviest members of the squirrel family, and the alpine species is native to central and southern Europe. Its North American cousin, the groundhog, is a highly intelligent lowland rodent that forms intricate social networks, but it's a so-so weather forecaster.