The Woodchuck Blog
Fifteen articles about an animal that has never chucked anything
The tongue twister asks a question the woodchuck cannot answer. These pieces cover everything around it - where the line came from, where the famous 700-pound figure came from, and what the animal actually does instead.
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The 700-Pound Answer: How Much Wood a Woodchuck Would Chuck
The woodchuck tongue twister has a number attached to it: about 700 pounds. Here is where that figure came from, how it was worked out, and why it measures soil.
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Where the Woodchuck Tongue Twister Actually Came From
The woodchuck tongue twister is usually traced to a 1902 Broadway musical. Here is what the record actually shows, and why the origin is murkier than it looks.
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Do Woodchucks Actually Chuck Wood? What They Really Do All Day
Woodchucks do not chuck wood, and never have. Here is what the animal actually spends its day doing, and why it gnaws timber without ever throwing any.
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Why Is It Called a Woodchuck? The Real Etymology
The word woodchuck contains neither wood nor chucking. It is a folk-etymology reshaping of an Algonquian word that originally meant a different animal entirely.
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Woodchuck vs Groundhog vs Marmot: What's the Difference?
Woodchuck and groundhog are the same animal. Marmot is the wider group it belongs to. Here is how the three names actually relate to one another.
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How to Say the Woodchuck Tongue Twister Fast Without Tripping
A practical method for saying the woodchuck tongue twister quickly and cleanly, plus the phonetic reason it defeats most people on the first attempt.
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Inside a Woodchuck Burrow: Where the 700 Pounds Goes
A woodchuck burrow has chambers, escape hatches and a dedicated latrine. Here is how it is built and why it displaces around 700 pounds of soil.
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How Much Is 700 Pounds of Wood, Really?
Seven hundred pounds of wood sounds abstract. Converted into cords, logs and pickup loads, here is what a woodchuck's theoretical output actually looks like.
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Where Do Woodchucks Live? Range, Habitat and Where to Spot One
Woodchucks range across eastern and central North America. Here is the habitat they prefer, how to find an active burrow, and why there are none in South Africa.
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Groundhog Day Explained: Why a Woodchuck Forecasts the Weather
Groundhog Day puts a woodchuck in charge of the forecast every 2 February. Here is where the tradition came from and what it does and does not predict.
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What Do Woodchucks Eat? A Gardener's Field Guide
Woodchucks are committed herbivores with a documented preference for vegetable gardens. Here is what they eat, when they eat most, and what they never touch.
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Do Woodchucks Hibernate? Inside the Deepest Sleep in the Meadow
Woodchucks are true hibernators, not light sleepers. Heart rate collapses, body temperature falls and the animal spends months sealed below the frost line.
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Can Woodchucks Climb Trees and Swim? Yes, and It's Unsettling
Woodchucks look built for one thing only. In fact they climb trees competently and swim well - abilities that make more sense once you remember they are squirrels.
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12 Woodchuck Tongue Twister Variations Worth Practising
The standard question, the standard answer, the extended reply and nine more variations of the woodchuck tongue twister, ordered by how hard they are to say.
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Whistle-Pig, Land Beaver, Monax: Every Woodchuck Nickname
The woodchuck answers to groundhog, whistle-pig, land beaver, monax and thickwood badger. Here is where each name came from and which ones are still in use.
