What is a rockchuck?

What group of gnawing rodents do woodchucks belong to?

woodchucks are rodents and belong to the large group of mammals Rodentia, which includes squirrels, prairie dogs, and chipmunks. within this large group the woodchuck is considered one of the marmots. a close relative of the woodchucks, the hoary marmot or whistler, lives in the mountains of western north america, from washington, idaho, and montana northward into the yukon and alaska. it inhabits tundra, alpine medows, and rock slides in mountains. two other marmots, very closely related to the hoary marmot, but differing from it in colour, live only on high portions of vancouver island and the olympic peninsula. the rockchuck, or yellow-bellied marmot, found from california, texas and new mexico to british columbia and southwestern alberta, is another close woodchuck relative. where the woodchuck is brownish this somewhat smaller cousin tends to be yellowish. it favours rockier country and higher elevations then the woodchuck, but is also found on agricultural land in foothills and valleys. scientists recognize as many as nine varieties or subspecies of woodchuck.