OH YEAH! There everywhere.

You jest right.

Not a bit, they range east to the middle of Kansas, south to mid Arkansas, and NE

I know kansas has some groundhogs as does arkansas trapped in those states and have seen them.

I believe that we are having a problem with semantics. Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmot- Marmots are large squirrels in the genus Marmota, of which there are 15 species.

Read the whole reference; not all 15 species are found in the United States. When I hear, or read the term “ground hog” or “woodchuck”, in my mind I picture Marmota monax. The term “marmot” suggests Marmota flaviventris while ““whistle pig” could refer to either.

Unless we refer to the Latin name for a critter we are sometimes left wondering what the poster is talking about. How many different animals are referred to as “gophers”. Even the taxonomists don’t always agree on animal classifications.

Now we have cell phones to compound the problem. I often have no idea of what the poster is trying to say. Don’t folks proofread what they have written before posting???

I wondered why you were so surprised, and I guess your right. Most folks don't distinguish one from another, and colorful local names prevail.