01 February 2024 , 18:03
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Groundhog Day 2024: Meet the other animals predicting the end of winter.
It's not just Punxsutawney Phil, the famous Pennsylvania groundhog, who predicts the weather. Americans have adopted this European tradition, which has turned into dozens of regional holidays that attract thousands of visitors.
In Oregon, Fufu the Hedgehog is a mascot for the Oregon Zoo and is known for his weather prediction abilities. According to the zoo, Fufu has a 53% accuracy rate, beating Phil by a few points. But there's also Filbert the Beaver, or Stumptown Fil, who has been making predictions from his home at Oregon Zoo for years.
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Bee Cave Bob the Armadillo is out repping Texas and giving insights that determine if spring will come early (TX Parks & Wildlife)Over in Massachusetts, they have Quentin the Quahog, the amazing clairvoyant clam. Quahogs are edible marine molluscs native to the eastern shores of North America. On Groundhog Day, a brave harbormaster will shuck Quentin the Quahog and see which way he squirts. If it's to the left, there will be six more weeks of winter. To the right, there will be early spring.
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In Southern Florida, folks celebrate the potential spring with a tiny bird called the Burrowing Owl. If it sees its shadow, they say it means six more weeks of winter - though Florida winters have temps in the 50s and 60s.
"It's our way of localizing the classic Groundhog Day event and making it our own," shared Pascha Donaldson from Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife. "The event is also an opportunity to spread awareness and provide education on burrowing owls."
Pisgah Penny, a white squirrel, makes many public appearances, and besides predicting the weather, will also forecast who will win the superbowl (White Squirrel Institute)
Connecticut's Scramble the Duck draws in plenty of viewers, and residents say he's more accurate than Phil (Scramble the Duck / Facebook)Over at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Leia the aardvark pokes her prophet nose into an ant mound labelled 'spring.' Before Leia came along, the zoo used Parish the nutria as their lead forecaster.
In Connecticut, a famous duck named Scramble steps out in Eastford to a crowd eager to see if he spots his shadow. The locals reckon he's never wrong about the weather because he's smarter than groundhogs.
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This Burrowing Owl is a tiny one, but has mighty meteorologist powers, according to Floridians (Getty Images)And for a decade, Brevard, North Carolina, has turned to a white squirrel for their weather forecast. Pisgah Pete held the title for years until his retirement when Pisgah Penny took over the tradition.
The White Squirrel Sanctuary in NC uses this day to advertise their 'adopt' a white squirrel program. The money raised helps to care for these cute animals and learn how to bring more of them back. Since they launched their own holiday tradition, they've reported a large increase in 'adoptions.'
Henrietta is a New York chicken who's egg-laying habits will determine whether or not spring is coming (Muscoot Farm / Facebook)In New York - people are quite divided on which animal is the most accurate. Staten Island has its own groundhog called Staten Island Chuck. Chuck and Phil from Pennsylvania often don't agree - no big surprise there.
But at Muscoot Farm in Katonah, they've got a climatologist chicken named Clucksatawney Henrietta who can predict spring. If she lays an egg on February 2nd, it means warm weather is coming soon.
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Will the hedgehog see its shadow in Oregon? (Oregon Zoo)And in Texas, where it's usually hot, they have Bee Cave Bob the Armadillo. He comes out to see if people in Texas will keep wearing shorts for six more weeks.
"We don't need no mangy groundhog in Pennsylvania predicting the weather for us," T. Boothe, who started the event, said proudly.
These regional practices have created a fun way to bring in the spring and create some tourism in areas where it's not usually the season for tourists. These critters may not be accurate - but they sure are cute to watch.