Tom Swenson, age 11, of Harvard,

 What kind of animal is a groundhog?

The groundhog, alias the woodchuck, alias the marmot, is classed among the gnawing, buck‑toothed rodents. His cousins include the rats and the mice, but he is more closely related to the squirrels. In fact, the groundhog is actually a ground squirrel ‑ and not kin to the pig and hog family at all.

A big groundhog may weigh 14 pounds and he is much too fat and lazy to climb trees like his bushy‑tailed relatives. However, he is not too lazy to build himself an elaborate system of tunnels and underground chambers. There he sleeps at night and through the winter, coming out only to feed and enjoy the warm morning sunshine.