The REAL Science of Groundhogs
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- Visit brilliant.org/... to get started learning STEM for free. The first 200 people will get 20% off their annual premium subscription and a 30-day free trial.
Groundhogs are famous in North America for "predicting" when spring will come (and also that Bill Murray movie). But while they might make for terrible meteorologists, they actually play a valuable role in several other scientific fields.
Hosted by: Savannah Geary (they/them)
----------
Support us for $8/month on Patreon and keep SciShow going!
/ scishow
Or support us directly: complexly.com/...
Join our SciShow email list to get the latest news and highlights:
mailchi.mp/sci...
----------
Huge thanks go to the following Patreon supporters for helping us keep SciShow free for everyone forever: Toyas Dhake, Spilmann Reed, Gizmo, Garrett Galloway, Friso, DrakoEsper , Lyndsay Brown, Jeremy Mattern, Jaap Westera, Jeffrey Mckishen, Matt Curls, Eric Jensen, Chris Mackey, Adam Brainard, Piya Shedden, Alex Hackman, Kevin Knupp, Chris Peters, Kevin Bealer, Jason A Saslow
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
SciShow Tangents Podcast: scishow-tangen...
TikTok: / scishow
Twitter: / scishow
Instagram: / thescishow
Facebook: / scishow
#SciShow #science #education #learning #complexly
----------
Sources: docs.google.co...
Visit brilliant.org/scishow/ to get started learning STEM for free. The first 200 people will get 20% off their annual premium subscription and a 30-day free trial.
that was straight up the funniest sci show gag ever. it took me a second, but daaanng.
Definitely comedy gold!
😂
omg a groundhog day reference!
Took me a second, too! 😅
Reminds me when I got to watch Groundhogs 2 in the local theaters, they just played the original movie over again
I thought there had been a mistake at first lmao - good gag
Awww damg it!!!! We're all stuck in a time loop...
Certainly appropriate. Amusing.
history is a circle
I was like "surely this can't be a mistake, right? they're far too professional for that", but I wasn't quite certain. Which shows they did it well.
that ending is iconic!
Ok, I gotta ask; when whoever came up with that ending first pitched, how evil did they look? I would have been cackling like a madman XD
I'm assuming everyone here has seen the videos of Chunk, the Groundhog? If you haven't it's more fun than any of us deserve. He's a wild groundhog that a gardener surrendered the fight to, and built a second garden just for Chunk, and his new girlfriend.
It truly is a gift! 🥰
I hadn't. And I'm here to say, thank you 😄
As someone who lives in a place where spring coming early would be six weeks after groundhog day it took me a long time to understand what people were talking about
Me too. Only 6 more weeks of winter sounds great to me.
"I'm in your woods, chucking your wood."
-Groundhogs, probably
That ending was perfection lmfao
I see what you did there!! I appreciate the movie reference!
Completely agreed, a month to wake up is sometimes necessary. Glad I'm not alone in needing that warmup time to become functional.
You got adhd too, huh? 😅
5 more minutes mom... Zzzzz
late stage capitalism be keeping everyone exhausted D:
@@LeBongFairy
What?? 🙄
It's funny that Groundhog Day entered the vernacular because of the movie and is now used in the West as a way of describing a feeling of Deja Vu or events repeating themselves! Something which has nothing to do with the actual Groundhog Day story!
Just like the groundhog day story has little to do with the groundhog's shadow. But like the movie, we'll repeat it over and over again despite not making sense, and no matter how many times you try to warn people, they'll keep telling the same story.
That's not the first time I've seen this comment
Groundhog day entered the vernacular far earlier than the movie. As kids in the 60s we were as aware of it as kids are now. Maybe more so. Teachers even had teaching plans built around the day (which is when I first learned about the animals).
Solid science writing aside, this episode had delightful writing by Teresa and exceptional delivery by Savannah! Thanks to everyone else who contributed, you are a great team. :D
The thumbnail: Waaait! They don't love you like i love you!😂
The groundhog never gets it wrong! Groundhogese is a difficult language to understand, so it is always the fault of the translator for not understanding the groundhog well enough. Don't hate on the lil fellas!
They can predict the weather better than actual meteorologists too.
When my daughter was born and we had just moved into our first apartment years ago. There was a groundhog in a small patch of woods in the back of our apartments. And for some reason he had bonded with humans. He insisted on walking inside our sliding glass door if left open and would rub against your legs until you petted him. My daughter loved him, he always lived outside, he would just come around for a few hours every morning. It lasted for about 4 years until one day he just stopped showing up. But Ive always loved those little guys every since. Thanks for the video.
😂 "you have to tell me if I'm in a time loop!" Great video, woodchuck = groundhog 🤯
Thank you, Dr. Adovasio and the Millers for the amazing Meadowcroft Rockshelter just outside Pittsburgh PA.
You're always the best at the side camera gag. I love all the presenters, but there's just something about the way you do the sassy, over-the-shoulder "this is dumb" takes that makes me crack up
'despite it never really chucking wood' was the saddest aside ever 😂😂😂🤗
(okay, 'because it's a groundhog :( and it can't speak english,' falls right on the heels... 😁)
I mean... at least it's not upchucking wood?
[I'm now questioning whether that's regional slang, so just in case... upchuck means vomit.]
I'm shook with that ending, I'm sorry you had to put up with that! We appreciate you and your hosting! Don't let scishow get too you
Don’t worry I think it’s just a reference to the Ground Hog day lol
@coyote-bird1801 oh! I completely forgot about that movie! That makes sense! Thank you for filling me in!
0:36 Lives outside of area indicated in red. ... sees groundhogs very frequently.
Yup. Agreed. Saw one outside on a sidewalk in -30 celsius (South Western Saskatchewan) a couple of weeks ago. Went to library, confirmed rodent's identity, pshaw on map.
OMG, that was hilarious. The whole episode was brilliant - SciShow always is, but this had a bit extra - and the ending was *chef's kiss*. (I am another fan of Chunk the Groundhog, and his human PR agent, Gardener Jeff.)
DON'T PRESENT ANGRY! Don't present angry :) Great writing and great presentation of that gag at the end.
I really like Savannah Geary's presentations. As an animal lover, I am embarrassed that I hadn't realized that a woodchuk & a groundhog were the same animal. I thought that they were just cousins, :)
So, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck were a groundhog hogging wood?
@@Jornandreja I kinda love it! ;)
0:11 ...but how much wood, could it chuck?..If it could...XD
A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could Chuck if a woodchuck could Chuck wood
A good woodchuck would chuck as much wood as it should.
It’s the same amount of ground as a groundhog grinds if a groundhog could grind ground.
I hadn't realised that groundhogs are the NA-specific species of marmots. We have other species of marmots over here in Europe and Asia! Cuteness all around the world.
Marmots are so chunky and cute, i love em
@@LeBongFairy
Cute, certainly, but--- I watched a mother marmot smack her daughter straight down a set of five stairs (beneath a walnut tree by a house) for going after mommy's choice of walnut. Daughter marmot was woosy. Mommy cracked said walnut and kept on eating.
Cuteness times six, because North America enjoys several other species of marmot, for example, here in the western states, we have the Yellow-Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventer). In the Olympic Mountains, there's the Olympic Marmot. In western Canada, Alaska, and part of the state of Washington, there's the Hoary Mamot.
Loving the classic reference. It's cold out there today, it's cold every day.
🎶 I got you,babe🎶
Lol! You really got me with that time loop sequence at the end 🤣
And I loved this video, but I don't think getting to see a taxidermyed groundhog counts as "meeting him", lol again
cool time loop, would be a real shame if we started over from the big bang like right now
Obviously, their greatest contribution to science is their time travel abilities.
Savannah! You're in a time loop! Can you hear me? TIME LOOP! Pull out! PULL OUT!
Dang. We lost another one.
Came for the groundhog. Stayed for the time loop.
Wait. How did I already post this?
0:59 That has never made sense to me. Overcast, winter skies would seem to indicate MORE winter.
It can't be extremely cold when there's moisture in the air.
I laughed until I snorted at that ending gag. I thought someone had made a massive editing error or had posted the wrong one. Perfect!
It took me longer to understand the thumbnail than I'd like to admit. 😅 Very good, gang
As someone who got a masters in computer science years ago, I feel very specifically targeted by the baked in ad for brilliant
Literally the time loop gag was the perfect ending lol. I just found SciShow!!! This made my morning. !!! 😂
They made that movie into a musical! I hope they have a groundhog. ❤
I pictured a groundhog with a tiny fedora, whip, and thrilling musical theme.
It took me a second, but great reference at the end :^)
OHHHHHHHHHHH i think i get the ending 😭
I felt like I was in a Groundhog Day time loop for a moment! lol 😂
Same day, different, never mind. Same day all over again
Groundhog Day reference I see
The writing in thie video is awesome. Five separate time I had to go back, not because I missed something bit because I had to re-hear how they had written so beautifully and I had to re-hear it
Cousin was married on Groundhogs Day. It was her mother-in-law's favorite holiday. She was quite German.
That was beautiful 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 We all definitely need more laughs like that. Thank you so very much
Dang that ending actually got me
Cutest ending ever!
Very inspirational creatures... "My apologies for being late to work this week, I'll be in torpor till March."
Tiny bit of science behind the groundhog weather predictions - when warm front of air comes in over cold frozen ground there tends to be pea soup fog. Groundhog can't see anything 6 inches from his nose defiantly not a shadow on ground!
I was like 😮 at the end before I got the joke 😂
Savannah can really rock a shirt!
...lmao Love the little bit at the end. :P
Whistlepig 😂
Chucking wood is just speculative. It does say how much wood could a chuck if it could chuck wood, not that it does, just saying.
Actually, it continues to say " As much wood as a woodchuck could chuck, If a woodchuck could chuck wood."
So yeah, spot on
Very funny! I like Savannah's GSOH at the end, with the echoes of "Groundhog day" the movie. :)
The host seems to have a pretty good sense of humor.
Actually he (P. Phil) was great at predicting weather in my area on the Westcoast...
Wait that's awesome! I've been to meadowcroft
John Candy voiceover: “The woodchuck is found in open woods and ravines throughout most of Canada and the northeast United States. A terrestrial day-active animal, the woodchuck hibernates in snowy climes…”
that ending was a good bit lmao
I had a friend posit that the "6 more weeks" thing, is checking to see if the ground has thawed enough to bury the people that died over the winter, or if you have to put up with them for 6 more weeks.
Whistle pig, is a common sight in the alpine rockies of Colorado. It didn't show their range in Colorado so maybe it's a different animal
"Tonight, on 'It's the Mind', we investigate the phenomenon of deja-vu."
"Tonight, on 'It's the Mind', we investigate the phenomenon of...?"
I'm grateful for you guys.
I sent this to a few people yesterday and told them happy Groundhog Day and they both times told me it’s not today. 😂 I honestly can’t believe it works so well. lol
Please do a followup on their cousins, the Yellow-Bellied Marmot. Thank you.
Love the ending - very Bill Murray! 😂
The ending 😂😂😂
I love groundhogs ❤
When the slate comes out, we question EVERYTHING... Even what to call these magnificent rodents.
Legit took me half an hour to realize that the thumbnail of this video was a pun. But, in my defense, I had a massive de'ja'vue this morning. So.... yeah. Lol
cute ending - loved it. Question about Rocky, though... did he live a long natural life and was taxidermied after a natural death, or did he meet a more nefarious end (probably because he was in the way of the archeological dig site)??
the ending made it for me
We're all in a time loop
Bill Murray will be proud
lol looking to the side camera for the jokes threw me everytime. it was HILARIOUS
we had a groundhog last summer in our garden. It peacefully set itself under our shed, and probably chugged all our strawberries and probably some raspberries. We also had grapes and other berries, so he was probably fine there. We could see it sometimes taking a rest just under the door, looking quite cosy.
We called him Fred, and planned to plant him some veggies, making him a little door or something, he was REALLY cute, so cute I could not be mad at him for getting my berries.
It lasted about 5-8 days, he disappeared then. I'm still sad about it. I HOPE YOU FINE FRED I STILL LIKE YOU.
"Don't drive angry."
That ending 👏 👏 👏
An unexpected ending!
This video keeps repeating over and over again and I don't know how to make it stop
That was funny. At first I was confused and then it dawned on me. 🤣 That was very creative!
I spent a summer gaining the trust of a woodchuck family once, I called them the Harrelsons. By September, mom and dad Harrelson allowed me to pet their three pups. The adults kept their distance from me, but the pups were curious and would try to approach. The parents would pull the pups back at first, but after lots of time spent near each other the pups eventually came all the way up to me without protest from the parents. I let them come check me out on three different evenings before I ever reached toward them, but when I did, they loved getting pets!
This is a cute story, but a really bad idea. Friendly rodents are likely to be mistaken for rabid... or attacked by angry gardeners.
(Saying this mostly for the sake of anyone potentially inspired to try and repeat this feat, especially with today's incentives to film and publish everything online.)
@mxpants4884 fair, and very true.
I was living on a wildlife preserve and working with the Indiana DNR when I did this.
Woah! Was not expecting that ending!
Love the ending. Perfect!
The quite interesting thing about the name woodchuck is that it is a transliteration of their Native American name. Not related to chucking.
Which language?
@@mxpants4884 Ya know what? I'm gonna let you educate yourself here. You are sitting in fornt of a computer, logged in to the intrernet.
Well played, SciShow... well played.
Nice one!
_NEW MEXICO MENTIONED_
Love it ... Movie reference!
The ending made me laugh. It was well done!
I was confused by the ending of this video at first, but it had me giggling once I got what was going on. :)
It took me until the end to realize what was happening. I am shame.
Good ending😅😅
Groundhogs are better guessing what the weather will do than college graduate meteorologists with computer tech.
LOL Totally committed. Loved it! Thank you!
They put this video out every year.
top notch