So not exactly an airborne groundhog in the strictest sense, but the title was too good to pass up. And this particular groundhog is likely the most airborne that I have ever seen. As their name implies, groundhogs are a ground-dwelling mammal known for digging burrows and terrorizing vegetable gardens.
I found this guy along the shore while I was kayaking, which added another layer of strangeness to the encounter. He’s perched atop a large downed limb and appeared to be munching on something, while using his elevated vantage point to keep a eye out for threats. I suspect he has a burrow somewhere under the weeds and brush nearby, for a quick escape.
The ground is known by several names, with some regional variation; throughout my life the term groundhog was interchangeable with woodchuck. But perhaps the most colorful of its names is “whistle pig,” in reference to the high-pitched call it makes when alarmed.