Facts and legends intermingle to make Groundhog Day what it is today. They are close relatives to squirrels and chipmunks. Groundhogs belong to the same order as beavers and rats. Adult groundhogs weigh an average of about 10 pounds, but weight varies greatly throughout the year. Short, strong legs, and front feet with claws dig burrows in the ground for their homes.
Groundhogs usually have two separate dens.
One den is used during the summer months, and the other is for the winter season. The burrow has a main entrance, usually a foot wide. From there, a tunnel reaches down below the frost zone, nearly five feet deep in the earth. The tunnel extends lengthwise, sometimes as much as 30 feet. At the end of the tunnel a nesting room is made.