1. A hole digging marmot or ground hog, usually seen in the northern and eastern parts of the United States, Canada and Alaska: "While camping in Alaska Robert and his sister saw some woodchucks, which looked like the ones they read about in their biology book, having brownish coarse fur, short legs and a small bushy tail."

"The woodchucks hibernate during winter in their burrows, which have a main entrance and even an escape tunnel."

2. Etymology: of New England algonquian origin, from Cree otchek, "fisher".