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Groundhog
Use this as the comparison animal. A groundhog has a thickset body, short rounded ears and a short, furry tail. It is a marmot of lowland fields, forest edges and yards, especially in the eastern United States and Canada. The other entries show which marks to check when you see that silhouette.
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Yellow-bellied marmot
Like a groundhog, this marmot sits upright and looks broad through the shoulders. Try to catch the yellowish belly and the paler patch across the nose. A rock pile or sunny slope in the western mountains is a good setting for that combination.
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Hoary marmot
Look for grizzled pale fur on its shoulders and a darker face. The sturdy body looks much like a groundhog’s, but this marmot regularly uses open rocky slopes in the western mountains. Its pale ruff often stands out even when all you can see is the upper half.
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Olympic marmot
On an alpine meadow in Washington’s Olympic Mountains, watch the patches of tan and brown on a big marmot. Its coat can look very different depending on the season and molt. That setting is a stronger clue than trying to judge one precise shade from a distance.
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Alaska marmot
A squat body and short rounded ears could bring a groundhog to mind. In northern Alaska, look for the dark face and paler upper body against a rocky slope. Use the northern range and habitat alongside the color, since light on mountain rock can make coats hard to judge.
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Vancouver Island marmot
Look for chocolate-brown fur with white around the nose and chin. Its posture can resemble a groundhog’s when it stands at the edge of a burrow. The wild range is on Vancouver Island, and steep meadows give the marking an additional context.
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Black-tailed prairie dog
A prairie dog standing on its hind legs beside a burrow can look like a small groundhog. The black tail tip is a useful sign when it drops to all fours. A colony of low mounds in open grassland gives you another clue.
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Gunnison's prairie dog
Look for a sandy or gray-buff body and a short, light-tipped tail. It lives in colonies in parts of the Four Corners region, including some high valleys. A broad group of burrows is a better cue than the compact shape of one individual.
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White-tailed prairie dog
A broad sandy body and a watchful pose can look like a little groundhog near a burrow. Check the light tail tip and dark marks on the sides of the face. Look for this species in the sagebrush and grasslands of the interior West.
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Utah prairie dog
A cinnamon-brown prairie dog in southwestern Utah can sit upright with the same compact outline as a groundhog. Look for the dark spot above each eye and the white tip on its short tail. A colony in open country gives you another clue.
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Mexican prairie dog
This stocky prairie dog lives in parts of northeastern and north-central Mexico, where it sits upright near burrows in grasslands. Look for the black outer half of its short tail and use the location to tell it from other dark-tailed prairie dogs.
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Arctic ground squirrel
It stands upright at a burrow in open country much as a groundhog does. In Alaska and northern Canada, look for the smaller body, pale speckles over a tawny back, and a short, narrow tail. This is Alaska’s only ground squirrel species.
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Richardson's ground squirrel
This northern Plains squirrel can pause upright at a burrow, much as a groundhog does. Its smaller body, very short visible ears, and slimmer tail help when it gets back on the ground. Look for it in open grassland.
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Franklin's ground squirrel
Its grizzled coat and sturdy body can resemble a young groundhog at the edge of tall grass. Look for the slim shape and a fairly long, bushy tail. The grassland and wet-meadow edges of the central part of the continent make a useful check on an uncertain glimpse.
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Columbian ground squirrel
Look for a rusty face and forelegs on a grizzled gray-brown body. A row of them standing in a western meadow makes their smaller size more obvious than a lone animal near the entrance to a burrow.
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Rock squirrel
On rocky slopes and canyon walls across the Southwest, this bulky ground squirrel can have a groundhog’s outline at first glance. Look for light flecking across the back and a long, bushy tail. A groundhog’s tail is much shorter in proportion.
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California ground squirrel
A California ground squirrel may stand by a dry hillside burrow in a familiar groundhog pose. Look for mottled fur and a longer, bushier tail. An exposed western slope with several entrances is a useful setting clue.
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Golden-mantled ground squirrel
This western ground squirrel looks compact when it sits up, but its russet shoulders and the dark-edged stripes along its sides set it apart from a groundhog. Look for an unstriped face, a quick check when it also reminds you of a chipmunk.
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Uinta ground squirrel
This smaller ground squirrel spends much of its visible time in open mountain meadows. Its lightly grizzled body and rather slender tail are easiest to see when it runs back to a burrow. Watch the whole animal instead of relying on the upright pose.
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Mountain beaver
Look for a blunt muzzle, small ears and a tiny tail, sometimes barely visible behind the rump. This burrowing rodent sticks to damp ground in the Pacific Northwest and nearby parts of California. It can give a groundhog impression at a burrow entrance.
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Plains pocket gopher
An animal briefly seen beside a mound in the central Plains may have the shape of a little groundhog. Look for conspicuous front claws, small eyes and ears, and a nearly naked tail on the much smaller pocket gopher. Many sightings start with a pile of soil and no animal in view.
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