Why do groundhogs predict the weather

To work this out we need to know how snowy a given February was relative to an average February. We calculated the mean average snowfall for a February in North America using data from the last 10 years, then we subtracted this average from the snowcover for the particular year.

This gives us an indication of the severity of the winter for that year relative to the other years. The conclusion of our little study is that groundhogs have only predicted the length of winter correctly four times in the last 13 years. There are lots of details we've skipped over to get this result. For example the groundhog's predictive skills could be regionally based, and so predicting the winter for the entire of North America is just not fair on the little guy.

It is clear that there is scope for further investigation. Joyce attended Catholic school and University College in Dublin. A brilliant scholar, he learned Dano-Norwegian in order to read To the rest of the world, he was Sid Vicious, former bassist The disastrous trip west ended up killing 42 people and turned many of the survivors into cannibals.

A total of When he arrived they found actors, actresses and studio executives rummaging Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Vietnam War. Early 20th Century US. Or those same hopes may be dashed by a prediction of an extended cold season. And in Pennsylvania, we consult with not just any groundhog, but the Groundhog Day groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. But why? Great question! As we reported last year, the history of Groundhog Day has its roots in the Christian holiday of Candlemas.

According to an old English rhyme:. Winter will have another bite. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,. However, predicting the weather is not their objective. High Darwinian fitness suggests an individual will pass on its genes to many healthy offspring. Hibernation contributes to Darwinian fitness value. It enhances survival by saving energy during times of limited food availability. The ability to hibernate is found in several mammalian groups, including all marmots, many species of ground squirrels, chipmunks, hamsters, badgers, lemurs, bats and even some marsupials and echidnas.

Curled up in their burrows, they pass the winter months, when food would be hard to come by. Hibernation is characterized by a significant drop in body temperature and metabolic function. This process is commonly called torpor. During torpor, body functions including heart rate, breathing rate, and brain activity are reduced. However, for some still unexplained reason, hibernators arouse periodically during their hibernating season.

These arousals come at a great energy cost.