Professor sheds light on groundhogs' shadowy behavior
Professor sheds light on groundhogs' shadowy behavior
It began as a Northern European pagan holiday brought to Pennsylvania by German immigrants. Ever
since the earliest settlers arrived, they have anxiously looked to the groundhog in early February
to forecast the weather. According to legend, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks
of winter weather; if not, an early spring is predicted. Scientists have always been skeptical that
groundhogs are emerging from hibernation to help us forecast the weather. But then why do they rouse
at this time of year, a month before mating season and before there is anything around for them to
eat? The fact is that the dates of hibernation are variable based on latitude. The time for
groundhog emergence in the spring depends on where you live, according to Stam Zervanos, Emeritus
Professor of Biology at Penn State Berks. As a physiological ecologist, Zervanos studies how
animals adapt physiologically to their environments. He has been studying the hibernation patterns
of groundhogs since 1996.
Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/28273?nw=1
posted by Russ Campbell at 1:22 PM
1 Comments:
And just so you know, the groundhog has been alive for 120 years, and has provided 120 consecutive correct predictions, except in the years when the Nazis and the influenza epidemic prevented the groundhog from giving his prediction.
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