Five Famous Groundhogs That Aren't Punxsutawney Phil

 Jan Wesner Childs

Published: February 1, 2023

W​hen it comes to Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil is the megastar.

But there are a few other prominent prognosticators out there, and some who are just wannabe woodchuck wonders (yes, groundhogs and woodchucks are the same animal).

F​rom Ms. G in Massachusetts to Las Vegas Larry in Nevada and Tymko in Ukraine, say hello to five other groundhogs that aren't Punxsutawney Phil

M​s. G Is The Official Groundhog Of Massachusetts

Massachusetts' official groundhog "Ms. G" came out for the first of two showings and did not see its shadow on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, 2020, at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

M​s. G makes her annual appearance at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, about 15 miles northwest of downtown Boston and part of Freedom's Way National Heritage Area.

A 2018 post from the National Park Service described Ms. G:

"She’s a lovable government official, an educator, a state treasure, and she has predicted the length of winters in New England every year since 2008. Her official title is Ms. G, State Groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

Area schoolchildren campaigned for years for Ms. G to have that official designation. She was rescued from the wild as a youngster and deemed not fit to return to her natural habitat, and has remained at the farm ever since.

Q​uigley Quogue Is Really Sam Champion

Quigley the groundhog from Save the Animals Rescue Foundation in Middle Island, New York makes his prediction that we will have an early spring during his visit to the Quogue Fire Department in Quogue, New York, on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.

Quigley has been looking for his shadow in the New York Hamptons village of Quogue since 2018.

But we'll let you in on a secret:

“His real name is Sam Champion,” Lori Ketcham, director of the nonprofit Save the Animals Rescue (STAR) Foundation in Middle Island, told local news website Dan's Papers. “He sometimes appears under a stage name. We just felt if they are the predictors of the weather, they should have weather-predictor names.”

Sam Champion the groundhog is named after a real-life WABC-TV weather anchor Sam Champion, formerly of The Weather Channel. He lives at STAR, as does another groundhog named Al Roker.

T​ymko The Marmot Adds International Flair From War-Torn Ukraine

Senior teacher of the Biology Faculty Nadiia Tokarska holds marmot Tymko III during the traditional weather-telling ceremony held around Groundhog Day at the biological research station of the Karazin Kharkiv National University, Haidary village, Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine. The furry weather forecaster has promised that spring will come in six weeks and Ukraine will also see no snow the next winter.

On the international scene, Tymko III is a star in Ukraine. Tymko is a marmot, an animal very similar to a groundhog.

In September, it was reported that Tymko and more than two dozen other marmots had survived six months of Russian occupation in the village of Nesterivka, 46 miles southeast of Kharkiv. They were cared for by their handlers at a biology research station at Kharkiv National University.

T​ymko is the third generation of prognosticators in his family, preceded by his dad Tymko II and grandfather Tymko I. The university has been marking Groundhog Day with the resident marmots since 2004, according to Polish News. He did not make an appearance in 2022.

Who The Heck Is Las Vegas Larry?

"Groundhog" Las Vegas Larry emerges on the roof of the Snappy Burger drive-thru hamburger stand and drive-in movie theater holding a "NO MORE WINTER" sign during a Groundhog Day celebration on Feb. 2, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I​n 2021, Las Vegas Larry popped up on the roof of the Snappy Burger restaurant and drive-in movie theater as part of a grand opening celebration for the business.

H​ere's another closely held groundhog secret: Larry is a human dressed in costume.

It's not clear if he's ever been seen or heard from again.

S​ir Walter Wally Announces Retirement

Sir Walter Wally, seen in this undated photo, will no longer be an official Groundhog Day winter weather predictor.

And, last but not least, we salute one long-serving groundhog who is stepping out of the limelight.

"After a long and illustrious career, Sir Walter Wally has decided to retire from weather prognostication," the North Carolina Museum of Natural History announced on its website.

W​ally headlined the annual Groundhog Day ceremony at the museum in Raleigh for more than 20 years.

Want To Know More About Groundhog Day?

C​lick the links below for some of our other coverage.

-​Groundhog Day 2023 Forecast; How Accurate Is Punxsutawney Phil?

-​Photos: How One Of America's Weirdest Traditions Came To Be

-​Fun Facts About Groundhog Day

-​Five Things You Never Knew About Groundhogs

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.