The Woodchuck (Marmota monax), also known as the groundhog, gets no respect. Shouldn’t it be the official state mammal of Pennsylvania? After all, a nationally recognized holiday centers on the prognostications of the state’s favorite son, “Punxsutawney Phil”. And think of all those state lottery tickets sold by that media groundhog, “Gus”. Yep, only Pennsylvania would have an animal often named for a different state as its official mammal: the Virginia White-tailed Deity.
