Is a groundhog the same thing as a woodchuck?

A: The big groundhog is about 24 times heavier than the little gopher. The animals look somewhat similar, however, with short neck, legs, and tail.

The groundhog (also known as a "woodchuck" and "whistle pig") is a marmot - essentially, a giant North American ground squirrel. The gopher is, like the groundhog, a burrowing member of the rodent order but its closest living relatives are kangaroo rats and pocket mice.

The pocket gopher gets its name from large fur-lined cheek pouches that border its face down to its shoulders. These weird roomy pouches function much like jeans pockets. They open to the outside and can be turned inside out for cleaning.

The groundhog hibernates and the gopher does not. By the end of October, the groundhog descends into her hidden burrow beneath a stump or a rock, curls into a relaxed ball, slows her heart from 75 to 4 beats a minute, and drops her body temperature to that of her home. She is so far "asleep" that, even if we warm her, she needs several hours to waken.

Groundhog:

• species Marmota monax from the squirrel family, Sciuridae, order Rodentia
• up to 13 pounds, 6 kg
• head and body 20 inches(50 cm) long; tail 18 inches
• found in eastern and central United States, across Canada, and into Alaska along forest edges abutting meadows, open fields, roads, and streams.
• good swimmers, can climb tall shrubs and sizable trees

Gopher:

• any of 38 species from the family Geomyidae, order Rodentia
• 0.5 pound (250 g)
• head and body 6 inches (15 cm) long; tail 3 inches (8 cm)
• range from southern Canada and the United States, south through Mexico and Central America, to northwestern Colombia. Found from coastal areas to above the timberline in high mountains.
• two to three-year lifespan

NO THERE NOT