We were in the truck on the dike around Lake Josephine when this guy came waddling up the road. Usually they head for the grass as soon as they see us but I guess he didn’t recognize the truck as a threat. These pictures were shot through a very buggy windshield.
The woodchuck (Marmota monax) is also known as a groundhog. It is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as Marmots.
The Woodchuck is the largest sciurid in its geographical range, typically measuring 16 to 26 inches long, including a 6 inch tail, and weighing 4 to 9 lb.
You might remember the photos of the Yellow-bellied Marmots that I posted from the Rocky Mountains. Yellow-bellied and Hoary Marmots live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the Woodchuck is a lowland creature.
Isn't he a cutie!
We’ve seen a few White-tailed Deer.
They are a lot bigger here than the Texas Hill Country deer!
We spotted this Muskrat along the Christina Reservoir.
With all the rain we have had there is water everywhere. Even the ditches have running water. In the evening we often hear lots of different frogs.
Leopard Frog
Chris used to see groundhogs all the time when he lived in Ottawa. He used to ride his bike and saw lots of them when he was riding. Also, deer. I saw a groundhog recently out here (where I am working now). Very surprising, as I've never seen one in NJ.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the woodchuck chucking wood?! Like on the Geico commercial? Do you have a t.v.? It's a funny commercial. Maybe you could find it on youtube.
ReplyDeleteI have seen that commercial! It's pretty funny. We have a TV in the RV but we're only getting a couple of channels.
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