How to Identify Groundhog Burrows

Groundhogs, which are large rodents in the marmot family, have thick claws that allow the animal to burrow quickly under the ground. Groundhogs maintain extensive underground networks to store food, raise their young and hide from predators. Knowing how to identify groundhog burrows, and to differentiate between them and snake or reptile burrows, can be helpful when you're hiking or camping.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Count the entrances. Groundhogs can build an extensive network of burrows, with anywhere from two to five entrances per animal, to provide quick escape routes from predators. A single groundhog burrow will contain up to 45 feet of tunnels.

2. Measure the depth. An average groundhog burrow often reaches a depth of 5 to 10 feet. Groundhogs often build separate hibernation burrows that are deeper still, usually well below the frost line.

3. Closely examine the terrain. Groundhogs will cleverly disguise the entrances to their burrows to discourage predators, especially snakes. Groundhogs will often dig underneath small bushes or dense plant growth, and will stuff the entrance with leaves and grass.

4. Check for food storage. In the typical groundhog burrow, you will find large stashes of wild grasses, berries and even fruits and vegetables from nearby agricultural crops. Since groundhogs are omnivorous, you may also find the carcasses of crickets, grasshoppers and beetles.

5. Note location. Look for burrows on the edge of a forest or in open grasslands. Groundhogs will always locate a burrow close to their food supply, since they never venture more than a few feet from the entrance of a burrow.

6. Measure the diameter. Groundhogs can be fairly large, and need a hole with a diameter of at least 6 to 8 inches, as opposed to reptiles that usually dig burrows 2 to 3-inches wide at the entrance.

Tips & Warnings

• The average groundhog will displace as much as 700 lbs. of dirt, or roughly one square meter, to build its underground burrows.
• Due to their extensive and complex structures, groundhog burrows can be destructive to agriculture, real estate development and even the foundations of existing buildings.