25 July 2006

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck if a Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood?

Of course it has yet to be conclusively proven but I feel that it is reasonably safe to assume the answer to this famous tongue twister is pretty close to f--k all zero.

Contrary to popular belief, Woodchucks (or ground hogs) aren't particularly keen on wood at all, and while they can easily scale a tree to find a meal, they'd prefer a safe quiet existence scurrying about close to terra-firma.

The name Woodchuck comes from the Cree Indian name "wuchak", and these rodents are closely related to squirrels, marmots, and prairie dogs, with which they share an affinity for burrowing.

In actuality, a burrowing woodchuck can chuck dirt, in the form of tunnels that can reach five feet deep and as much as 35 feet in length. So, based on that number, New York State wildlife expert Richard Thomas calculated that if a woodchuck could chuck wood, he could chuck as much as 700 pounds of the stuff!
(Cheers neatorama/mental floss and of course the Kermit Airgun club for the target!)

By Erueti Brown with 1 comment

1 Jabber?:

Gee.... what other tongue twisters contain innacuracies, I wonder? ;)

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