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Every year in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on February 2nd, Phil makes his prediction about when spring is coming. Who is Phil? He’s a furry little groundhog, and he’s been making his predictions since 1887. This February will be his 130th anniversary! The tradition began with badgers and sacred bears making the weather predictions, but in recent years, the groundhog has been adopted instead.
How big are groundhogs? Bigger than you may think! They’re typically eight to ten pounds when they’re fully grown. They dig burrows for homes, and these homes can reach anywhere from eight to sixty-six feet long. It’s in these burrows that they hibernate through the long winter months. Groundhogs are known as “true hibernators” and they can reduce their heartbeat to five beats per minute and their body temperature can reach as low as 41° Fahrenheit when at their deepest hibernation.
When the groundhog emerges from hibernation, he looks out to see if it’s safe to wake up from hibernation for good. If he sees his shadow, he is startled, and returns to his burrow for six more weeks. If he doesn’t see his shadow, he knows that winter is over, and spring is coming!
Interestingly, in the years that have been recorded, Phil has seen his shadow ninety-seven times, and he has not seen it sixteen times. In these years, Phil’s accuracy reaches only 39%. Despite his low accuracy, people still flock to watch him make his predictions every year in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
If you want to watch Phil make his prediction in 2020, you can tune in live at www.visitpa.com/groundhog-day-live-stream/. Will we get an early spring, or will we have six more weeks of winter? We’ll find out on February 2nd!
If you enjoyed this blog and want to read more, click below for our blog from last month!
Helping Your Teacher to Help Your Preschooler
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