DENVER -- His name, Punxsutawney Phil. His job quite simple, once a year he tells us if will have more snow. Six weeks more.
But who, or what, is this little furry weasel of the weather? First, Phil is not a weasel. He's a hog, a ground hog to be exact. Actually, he's a member of the rodent family. That's right, a rat.
But unless you live near Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, where can one go around here for accurate weather information?
We went to the Denver Zoo to find out.
Patty Anderson with the zoo holds up a black-tailed prairie dog. Patty calls the rodent daisy.
"They're very good at keeping the native grasses trimmed down," says Anderson.
Besides being natures little lawn mowers and an occasional Scooby snack for a coyote, the black tailed prairie dog is not the best weathercaster.
Rick Haeffner, curator of reptiles and fish at the Denver Zoo, shows us the Capybara. A really big rodent. It's the biggest in the world. It's so big, that in Argentina Gouchos round up the critters, like cattle, and eat 'em up.
"How is it related to the groundhog? Well, they're both rodents," adds Haeffner.
Punxsutawney Phil the capybara is not.
Last there's the tri colored squirrel, another distant member of Phil, and yes, a rodent. This little guy is so small he barley casts a shadow on the brightest of days.
Looks like, for now at least, we'll have to make do and watch "PF", like his closest friends call him, make the to be or not to be winter prediction. And by the way, this year, our hero did in fact see his shadow, which means don't put away your snow shovel just yet.
But who, or what, is this little furry weasel of the weather? First, Phil is not a weasel. He's a hog, a ground hog to be exact. Actually, he's a member of the rodent family. That's right, a rat.
But unless you live near Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, where can one go around here for accurate weather information?
We went to the Denver Zoo to find out.
Patty Anderson with the zoo holds up a black-tailed prairie dog. Patty calls the rodent daisy.
"They're very good at keeping the native grasses trimmed down," says Anderson.
Besides being natures little lawn mowers and an occasional Scooby snack for a coyote, the black tailed prairie dog is not the best weathercaster.
Rick Haeffner, curator of reptiles and fish at the Denver Zoo, shows us the Capybara. A really big rodent. It's the biggest in the world. It's so big, that in Argentina Gouchos round up the critters, like cattle, and eat 'em up.
"How is it related to the groundhog? Well, they're both rodents," adds Haeffner.
Punxsutawney Phil the capybara is not.
Last there's the tri colored squirrel, another distant member of Phil, and yes, a rodent. This little guy is so small he barley casts a shadow on the brightest of days.
Looks like, for now at least, we'll have to make do and watch "PF", like his closest friends call him, make the to be or not to be winter prediction. And by the way, this year, our hero did in fact see his shadow, which means don't put away your snow shovel just yet.
