Arctomys monax; Print; The groundhog (Marmota monax); also known as a woodchuck; is a rodent of the family Sciuridae; belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. It was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The groundhog is also referred to as a chuck; wood-shock; groundpig; whistlepig; whistler; thickwood badger; Canada marmot; monax; moonack; weenusk; red monk and; among French Canadians in eastern Canada; siffleux. The name "thickwood badger" was given in the Northwest to distinguish the animal from the prairie badger. Monax (M髈nack) is an Algonquian name of the woodchuck; which meant "digger" (cf. Lenape monachgeu). Young groundhogs may be called chucklings. Other marmots; such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots; live in rocky and mountainous areas; but the groundhog is a lowland creature. It is found through much of the eastern United States across Canada and into Alaska.; 1700-1880