Gray marmot vs Groundhog
The gray marmot is heavier: 7.5 kg against 3.8 kg for the groundhog, about 2.0 times the weight.
Photo: Egor Volarov (egorbirder) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. ElC assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a gray marmot and a groundhog?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The gray marmot is heavier: 7.5 kg against 3.8 kg for the groundhog, about 2.0 times the weight.
- The gray marmot is longer-lived: 15 years against 11.3 years for the groundhog, about 33% longer.
- Both belong to the genus Marmota, so they are close relatives.
- Both are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Side by side
| Gray marmot | Groundhog | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Marmota baibacina | Marmota monax |
| Family | Sciuridae | Sciuridae |
| Order | Rodentia | Rodentia |
| Weight | 3.5 kg – 7.5 kg | 3.41 kg – 4.17 kg |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 15 years | 11.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, grassland | woodland |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.
Full record: Gray marmotFull record: GroundhogCompare other animals