Professor discusses marmots and tradition of Groundhog Day
By Taylor Erickson
Feb. 4, 2013 9:34 p.m.
The tradition of Groundhog Day began in 1887 in a town called Punxatawney, Pennsylvania, helping German and Dutch settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries predict the coming of spring depending on whether or not the groundhogs emerged from their burrows. Long Story Short host Taylor Erickson spoke with Dr. Dan Blumstein, the chair of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, who studies marmots, or ground squirrels. He tells us everything we need to know about the behavior of groundhogs and the cultural significance of this holiday.
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