Broad-scale assessment of groundhog (Marmota monax) predictions of spring onset no better than chance

Groundhog Day is a widespread North American ritual that marks the oncome of spring, with festivities centered around animals that humans believe have abilities to make seasonal predictions. Yet, the collective success of groundhog Marmota monax prognosticators has never been rigorously tested. Here, we propose the local climate-predicted phenology of early blooming spring plants (Carolina Spring Beauty Claytonia caroliniana, which overlaps in native range with groundhogs) as a novel and relevant descriptor of spring onset that can be applied comparatively across a broad geographical range. Of 530 unique groundhog-year predictions across 33 different locations, spring onset was correctly predicted by groundhogs exactly 50% of the time. While no singular groundhog predicted the timing of spring with any statistical significance, there were a handful of groundhogs with notable records of both successful and unsuccessful predictions: Essex Ed (Essex, CT, USA), Stonewall Jackson (Wantage, NJ, USA) and Chuckles (Manchester, CT, USA) correctly predicted spring onset over 70% of the time. By contrast, Buckeye Chuck (Marion, OH, USA), Dunkirk Dave (Dunkirk, NY, USA), and Holland Huckleberry (Holland, OH, USA) made incorrect predictions over 70% of the time. The two most widely recognized and long-tenured groundhogs in their respective countries – Wiarton Willie (CAN) and Punxsutawney Phil (USA) – had success rates of 54% and 52%, respectively, despite over 150 collective guesses. Using a novel phenological indicator of spring, this study determined, without a shadow of a doubt, that groundhog prognosticating abilities for the arrival of spring are no better than chance.

Diel activity patterns of urban Woodchucks (Marmota monax) revealed by camera traps at burrows in southwestern Ontario, Canada

Animals display a range of diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns and, among mammals, a high proportion of species are crepuscular or nocturnal. Daily activities are often endogenous and oscillate on a light:dark regime. Such cycles are referred to as ‘circadian’ and are generally influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. I investigated the daily activity of urban Woodchucks (Marmota monax) by using 24-hour camera traps at backyard burrows in London, Ontario, Canada, in June. Cameras enabled the collection of data that would otherwise have been labour intensive by direct observation. Statistical modelling showed that Woodchucks exhibited a strictly diurnal activity pattern. The unimodal activity pattern started at sunrise and ended before sunset. The general daily activity trend was similar to the pattern described by others who used direct observations and telemetry to monitor Woodchucks in more rural settings. Temperature and wind were not included in the best-fit model. Camera trapping is a non-invasive method that could give insight to diel activity as it can easily monitor extended periods and reduce the effort required by direct observation.

Ovarian teratoma in a woodchuck (Marmota monax) with hepatocellular carcinoma: radiologic and pathologic features

Background Teratomas are germ cell neoplasms composed of a wide variety of tissues. In the woodchuck, only one testicular teratoma has been described in the literature. The objective of this report was to describe the radiologic and pathologic findings in a female woodchuck (Marmota monax) with an ovarian teratoma consisting of mature tissues originating from all three germ layers. Case presentation A 2-year-old female woodchuck that had been infected at birth with woodchuck hepatitis virus and subsequently developed hepatocellular carcinoma was incidentally discovered to have a mobile 6.6 × 4.8 × 4.7 cm abdominal mass on computed tomography (CT) imaging. The tumor was predominantly solid and heterogenous on CT with soft tissue, fat, and areas of dense calcification. The teratoma did not enhance with intravenous contrast administration. On ultrasound, the tumor was solid with heterogeneous echogenicity, reflecting the fat content and areas of calcification. Sonolucent areas were present that may have represented cysts. There was heterogeneously increased signal on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and heterogeneous hyperintensity in T2-weighted imaging. Fat was evident within the tumor. At necropsy, the tumor was attached to the distal end of the right uterine horn. Histopathology showed mature tissue types representing all three germ layers. Conclusions Ovarian teratoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of ovarian or abdominal masses in woodchucks. The tumor displayed mature tissue derived from all three germ layers. CT, ultrasound, and MRI findings were presented in detail and matched the typical imaging appearance of teratomas.

The genome of the American groundhog, Marmota monax

We sequenced the genome of the North American groundhog, Marmota monax, also known as the woodchuck. Our sequencing strategy included a combination of short, high-quality Illumina reads plus long reads generated by both Pacific Biosciences and Oxford Nanopore instruments. Assembly of the combined data produced a genome of 2.74 Gbp in total length, with an N50 contig size of 1,094,236 bp. To annotate the genome, we mapped the genes from another M. monax genome and from the closely related Alpine marmot, Marmota marmota, onto our assembly, resulting in 20,559 annotated protein-coding genes and 28,135 transcripts. The genome assembly and annotation are available in GenBank under BioProject PRJNA587092.

Lecanicillium coprophilum (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales), a new species of fungus from the feces of Marmota monax in China

Species in Lecanicillium are pathogens that parasitize various arthropods, nematodes, and other fungi. In an investigation of intestinal fungi associated with Marmota monax in China, three strains belonging to the genus Lecanicillium were isolated from the fresh fecal samples. Based on multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of the combined sequences (ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF, RPB1 and RPB2) and morphological characteristics, all species in Lecanicillium were well-separated. The three intestinal strains were assigned to a new species described as L. coprophilum in this paper. The new species differs morphologically from other Lecanicillium species by its dimensions of conidiogenous cells and conidia, the shape of conidia, dictyochlamydospores and swollen hyphae. The differences of L. coprophilum from other Lecanicillium species and closely related taxa are briefly discussed.