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Marmota monas
A large rodent with a rotund body and short legs, the groundhog is also called by the name woodchuck. It has short round ears, gray or brown fur, a black band of color acrosss the bridge of its snout, a black nose which shows up against white fur at the of its snout. It has finger like claws with sharp nails, which enable it to dig and burrow.
This groundhog was spotted on the banks of the west fork of the Red River in rural Kentucky. It was climbing about on fallen trees and large rocks at the river's edge. In the cultivated fields and meadows adjacent, the ground shows disturbances above burrows dug by groundhogs. This is a wooded area, with a variety of deciduous trees including walnut, oak, persimmon, and maples. Undergrowth includes shrubs and wildflowers. Ageratums were in bloom and persimmon fruit on the ground.
This groundhog was exploring the fallen trees and the trunk of a large tree in a purposeful way, as it looking for something.
1 Comment
Nice shot !