15 Animals Similar to Groundhogs
Animal: Groundhog
Other Common Names: Woodchuck
Type of Animal: Mammal
Family: Squirrel (Scuiridae)
Distribution: Groundhogs are found in North America, from Canada to the southern regions of the United States.
Habitat: Woodlands, open forests, fields, and some rocky slopes.
Diet: Herbivores; eat plants, insects, and snails on occasion.
Longevity: Approximately 3 years
Adult Weight: 5 to 13 pounds (2 to 6 kilograms)
Adult Body Length: 16 to 20 inches (41 to 51 centimeters)
Behaviors: They are active during the day making them a diurnal species. Groundhogs burrow into the dirt to create multi-chambered burrows to store food, rest, and hibernate. They only live with a mate and tend to be solo otherwise.
Table of Contents
- Gopher
- Prairie Dog
- Badger
- Beaver
- Muskrat
- Marmot
- Ground Squirrel
- Hyrax
- Nutria
- Chipmunk
- Mole
- Vole
- Marten
- Hedgehog
- Wombat
Gopher
Animal: Gopher
Type of Animal: Mammal
Family: Pocket Gopher (Geomyidae)
Distribution: Gophers live throughout North and Central America, mostly in regions of the United States and Mexico.
Habitat: Woodlands, grass prairies, coastal areas, and mountainous regions.
Diet: Omnivores; eat earthworms, other bugs, shrubs, plant roots, and some vegetables.
Longevity: Approximately 4 years
Adult Weight: Around 0.5 pounds (200 grams)
Adult Body Length: 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters)
Behaviors: These animals are active during the day and tend to remain in underground burrows for most of their lives, making them fossorial individuals. Gophers usually live alone unless with their mate.
Similarities to Groundhogs: Both of these animals burrow underground and live isolated from one another.
Differences to Groundhogs: Gophers have fur-less tails, long teeth that have a yellow to brown coloration, fur-lined cheeks for storing food, and are smaller. Groundhogs have fur-covered tails, white incisors, and a relatively large body mass.
Prairie Dog
Animal: Prairie Dog
Type of Animal: Mammal
Family: Squirrel (Scuiridae)
Distribution: This is a North American species living in areas of Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
Habitat: Primarily dry and sparsely vegetated grasslands, but also low valleys, mountain meadows, and prairies.
Diet: Omnivores; eat insects, the leaves of flowering plants, seeds, roots, weeds, and grasses.
Longevity: Approximately 3 to 5 years… Read the rest of the story.
